


Tiny Dancer

by SVU_BAU_CSI



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: AUish, Adorable, F/M, Fairy Godmother Garcia, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Grandfather Rossi, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Secrets, some drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:26:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 48,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29245788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SVU_BAU_CSI/pseuds/SVU_BAU_CSI
Summary: Rossi has spent his life working. Three failed marriages, several one night stands, and the one that got away have turned him away from ever having the life he had once wished for. He had long accepted the fact the only thing he would ever have in his life was the job. Now Rossi's life is thrown for a complete 180 when a mysterious man shows up with a quiet five-year-old and her beloved stuffed lion.
Relationships: Chris Callahan/Kate Callahan, David Rossi/Erin Strauss
Kudos: 5





	1. 1 - Rossi's Surprise Visitor

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually an older story that I have on FanFiction.net and Wattpad that I have decided to add on here after my friend convinced me to start uploading here as well.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, Lion King, or any of the songs mentioned. I apologize for any mistakes in the French. I used google and we know google can be wrong sometimes.
> 
> Background: Gideon left before Elle and Rossi replaced him. Elle is still on the team and Emily never joined. (If you're a big Emily fan I do suggest still giving this story a chance.)

_March; Monday_

Monday morning found the BAU team doing paperwork after four long cases back-to-back. Only an emergency would be taking them out of the office that week. This and the neither cold nor hot weather was very welcomed by the team's members. They were set up for a week of normal, but normal and the BAU never go together.

It was still early, before lunch, when all eyes were drawn to the glass doors leading into the bullpen. A mysterious man entered with a young child on his hip and a pink bookbag slung over his shoulder. The man had dirty blonde hair that was perfectly styled in a spiked do but had less manicured facial hair. The eyes that scanned the room were a cold grey/blue. His attire's palette was dark, adding to his mystery, and included a scarf and leather jacket. The child clung to him with her head buried in his shoulder.

Elle was the first to stand and speak, "How may we help you?"

"I need to speak to Agent Rossi?" The man asked revealing a British accent.

"Name?" Morgan requested as he too stood up.

The man let out a little huff causing the child to tighten her grip on the collar of his jacket. "That's not important." He readjusted the child on his hip. "I would prefer to not wait all day."

Morgan, Elle, and Reid had a silent conversation with each other. They decided that getting Rossi was inevitable and Elle left to get him. "While Agent Greenway is getting Agent Rossi is there anything else I can do for you?" Morgan asked.

The child is the man's arms looked up to him with hopeful eyes. "Je veux maman (I want mommy)."

"Not now," The man hushed. He shook his head. "No, all I need is to speak to Agent Rossi."

Rossi and Elle walked down the stairs. "How may I help you."

"Agent Rossi is there anywhere to talk in private?"

"We can speak in my office," Rossi replied.

The unnamed man and child followed Rossi back to his office. He shut the door behind him and placed the child on her own two feet without a word. Rossi took the opportunity to take in the young child now standing in his office. He didn't know much about children but estimated she was around five years of age. Her hair was almost jet black and pulled into a messy bun. It seemed the man's skill at doing his own hair did not translate to doing that of the child's. Her eyes were wide and an odd blue; however, different from those of the unnamed man. She was wearing a long-sleeved black dress that fell to her knees with dark green rain boots. Rossi also noticed a silver heart-shaped locket around her neck.

The unnamed man slid the bag off his shoulder and pulled out a file folder. He handed the folder to Rossi. "This is all the paperwork you will need."

Rossi took the folder and glanced at the man curiously. "Need for what?"

The man sighed in annoyance clearly not having the patience. "I don't have the time to explain everything; I'm a very important and busy man. In that folder, you will find everything you need to know. What I will tell you is this. I have spent the last two months tracking you down. Do you know how hard it is to take care of a five-year-old by yourself for two months?"

Rossi shook his head. "Can't say I do."

"Well it's hard, but I finally found you. She is your responsibility now." The man placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, who hadn't moved since she had been put down. "Agent Rossi meet your granddaughter Elenor. Nora this is your grandfather David Rossi."

If anyone had told Rossi this is how his day would start he would have shot them. "My what!?"

"Your granddaughter. You are the only one who can take care of her, so please don't make this difficult," The man stated. Rossi could have sworn he saw a hint of pleading in the man's eyes.

The words barely processed in Rossi's mind as he tried to understand what he was hearing. "I'm sorry sir you must have the wrong person. I don't have any children, let alone grandchildren."

"Well the birth certificate I found from 36 years ago says different. Now I really must get going," The man said turning to leave.

"Wait!" Rossi called. "Why can't her parents look after her?"

The mysterious man frowned; unhappy his exit hadn't happened. His head turned to the child now walking around the office curiously, or she may have also been trying to process being told this stranger was her grandfather. "Nora please step outside for a moment while Agent Rossi and I talk." Rossi was a little surprised as the child stepped outside without complaint. "She doesn't know her father, I wish I didn't know her father, and her mother made bloody clear she never wanted Nora to know her father. As for her mother," The man's voice dropped to a whisper he's eyes betraying his neutral facade, "she died two months ago."

Rossi was in shock. This man had come into his life to tell him he had a daughter and a granddaughter to then tell him his daughter was dead. He couldn't let his emotions blind him yet. "What about her grandmother?"

As hard as it was to admit Rossi didn't have a clue who the child's grandmother could be. 36 years ago he was between marriages and there was no telling who he hooked up with.

"See that's a subject that could keep me here a while. Let's just leave it as I deemed you the ablest to care for a five-year-old." The man turned his voice to the door, "Nora come back in please."

"Maison (home)?" Nora asked.

The man shook his head and bent down to her level. "I have to go, but you're going to stay with Agent Rossi for a bit. He has a huge house and yard. I know you wanted a yard to run around in."

Rossi didn't want to know how the man knew about where he lived. Nora's eyes started to fill with tears as she shook her head. "Je veux maman."

Rossi was starting to get a headache. This was all too much and the two language conversation was not helping.

"Nora," The man said tilting his head as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know this is hard, but remember what I told you. You're going to have so much fun staying with Agent Rossi. He lives in a castle. Be good for him."

That seemed to do the trick as Nora turned to look at Rossi; sniffling. The man took the opportunity to stand back up. Nora turned back to him and flung her arms around his legs. "Je t'aime bunny (I love you)."

"I love you too little darling," The man said placing a kiss on the top of her head. He then turned to Rossi. "Take good care of her. I promised her mother I would make sure she was in good hands."

Rossi watched as the man headed to the door. "Then why not take care of her yourself?"

The man paused in the doorway and turned to Rossi. "Because I have a bigger promise to keep."

With that, the man was gone and Rossi was left alone with his granddaughter. All he could think was 'What the hell?'

Glancing down at the girl he could tell she was just as confused.


	2. 2 - Getting to Know You

Rossi decided his first plan of action was to go through the file now sitting on his desk. The man did say it would have everything needed to know. Though, he doubted it was going to help his ever growing headache. "Hey, uhm, I guess just make yourself at home."

Nora pulled herself up on the couch where the man had left her bag. Rossi took a seat at his desk. The first thing in the file was a copy of Nora's birth certificate; though, it was no good as Nora's last name and her mother's name were both whited out. The father line was blank. Next was a copy of Nora's medical records. These too were void of a last name. Rossi did a quick scan to check for anything major. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The next stack was custody papers. Lastly, there was a slip of paper with a number deemed for emergencies only. It seemed the mysterious man had thought of everything; despite nothing revealing his daughter's identity. "I'll be right back," Rossi told Nora as he stood up.

Rossi stepped out of his office to find all eyes turned to him. Morgan was the only one brave enough to ask the question they were all wondering, "What's going on?"

"I'm trying to figure that out myself," Rossi replied before slipping into Hotch's office.

"What can I do for you, Dave?" Hotch asked oblivious to the mystery man and child.

"I'm going to need a few personal days. I've had a family thing come up that I need to figure out," Rossi told him.

"Is everything okay?" Hotch asked.

"I don't know," Rossi admitted.

Hotch gave him a look of concern. "You have more vacation days than anyone in this unit. Please use them all if you need to."

"Thank you," Rossi stated turning to leave.

"Hey, Dave," Hotch called after him, "call me if you need anything."

"I will."

:::::::

When Rossi reentered the office Nora was holding a stuffed lion cub in her lap that she had pulled from her bag. "Who's that?"

"Simba"

Rossi gathered the papers from his desk and walked over to the couch. "We're going to go visit a friend of mine then go eat lunch."

Rossi lifted the bag up and was surprised at its weight. He realized that it probably contained his granddaughter's entire life, or at least as much as the man could fit in it. Referring to Nora as his granddaughter felt odd in Rossi's mind. Just an hour ago he didn't even know he had a daughter. Rossi guessed he was never meant to be a father. First James had died and now a daughter he didn't even know was dead. Looking down at Nora he guessed maybe he did have a chance after all. "Are you ready to go?"

Nora held up her arms; Simba firmly clasped in her left hand. "Don't make this a habit. I'm not as young as I use to be," Rossi warned as he picked her up. He instantly forgot his words as she cuddled into his arms; even though Simba's tail was hitting him in the face.

When he stepped out of his office the team was waiting. JJ and Hotch had left their offices to see what was going on. Rossi decided to go ahead and address the situation before the rumor mill could get started. "Everyone this is my granddaughter. I'll be taking a couple of weeks off to get everything settled. Unless the team is on a case you are all invited to my house on Friday for dinner."

Rossi then made his way to Garcia's office. "Come in," She instructed.

Rossi entered the room just as Garcia turned around with a shocked expression. "Garcia this is my granddaughter, Nora."

He sat down in one of the chairs and gave Penelope a brief run-through of everything that had happened.

"So you want me to find out who her mom is?" Garcia guessed.

Rossi nodded. "I know it's not a lot to go on, but I need to know."

"I understand." Garcia then turned to Nora. "Hi, Nora I'm Penelope. I'm going to ask you a few questions." She waited for a nod. "Do you know the man who brought you here?"

"Bunny," Nora replied.

"Do you know bunny's real name?" Rossi asked.

"Easter bunny," Nora replied lightly instead focussing on playing with Simba.

Rossi shot Garcia a helpless look. "What about your mom's name?"

"Mama," Nora said causing Rossi to sigh.

"Last name?" He tried.

Instead of answering Nora started humming to herself.

"I don't think we're going to get anything out of her," Garcia admitted in defeat.

"Well we have a birthday, a first name, and her mom would have been about 31 at the time," Rossi stated knowing it was a long shot.

"I'll try my best," Garcia told him.

Before he left Rossi added another bit of information. "Start with Britain and then French-speaking countries."

"Can do my Italian Stallion."

"What would you like to eat?" Rossi asked as he and Nora made their exit.

"Petit déjeuner (breakfast)?" Nora asked looking up to him.

Rossi turned to Garcia. "She wants breakfast," Garcia translated for him. She was happy her high school French was finally coming in handy. "Take her to IHOP or something."

"Thank you," Rossi whispered. Once they were out the door he looked down at Nora. "You know I don't speak French right?"

Nora shrugged not bothered by that piece of information.

:::::::

Rossi was still trying to process everything as he watched Nora color while they waited for their food at IHOP. Now that he had the time he tried to think back to who the girl's grandmother could be. He again turned to Nora to take in her appearance.

36 years ago had been after his divorce with Hayden and his short-lived affair with one Erin Strauss. After that, he'd gone through several one night stands with blondes before his brief marriage to Krystall. His third marriage had been the driving force for him to clean up his image instead of being the FBI's poster boy of a womanizer. Nora's hair was dark, most likely from his side of the family or maybe her father's. He wondered if his daughter had been a blonde or inherited his dark hair. Nora's eyes defiantly hadn't been inherited from his side of the family. His whole family had eyes almost as dark as their hair, but Nora's were somewhere between grey and light blue. Paying further attention he noticed a light brown ring around the pupil. Briefly, another pair of eyes flashed before his eyes, but the glimpse was too quick for his grasp. Rossi frowned as he realized he probably wouldn't figure it out. To much time and alcohol had blurred the faces of the many women he had led back to hotels after meetings at bars and book signings.

His mind started to wander to his daughter. He had so many questions. Had her mother kept her or was she put up for adoption? Did another man raise her as his own? Where did she grow up? What was she like as a kid? Did she do good in school? What did she do as a career? How did she die? And most heartbreaking was Nora with her when she did? Rossi was overwhelmed.

Before he could completely derail their food arrived. While he had ordered a simple omelet with hash browns Nora had pointed to a pancake plate that looked more like a cavity than a breakfast food. It was covered in white icing and sprinkles; however, Rossi couldn't deny the first real smile he had seen. "Is it good?" Nora looked up, the area around her mouth covered in sprinkles and the sticky icing, and nodded. "I'm glad you like it."

"Merci," She whispered between bites.

Finally, something he recognized. "Prego," He replied.

The giggle Nora let out let him know she knew what he said.

:::::::

After lunch, they headed home. Nora's eyes lit up when she saw that her bunny hadn't been lying when he said Rossi lived in a castle. "How about a tour first?"

Nora nodded excitedly. Rossi led her around the house, introducing her to Mudgie in the process. The dog had been excited about getting a playmate closer to his own size. Rossi even allowed Nora to pick out her own room promising they would decorate it soon. After their tour, he led her back to the den. "Let's see what bunny packed you," Rossi said opening her bag.

Nora joined him on the couch peering into the bag. The first things Rossi pulled out were three shirts, shorts, a dress, leggings, a pajama set, a few undergarments, and socks. He took the time to pay attention to the designs of the clothes trying to gain a better understanding of his granddaughter's personality or his own daughter's influence. The first shirt was light pink with 'Tiny Dancer' written in black glitter font. The second was light green with white font saying 'So it goes.' The last shirt was blue with a gold Little Dipper. The shorts were denim with flowers embroidered up the sides. The dress was light blue with dark blue lions. The leggings were black and the pajamas had lion cubs on them and said 'Friends Fur-Ever.' Rossi was starting to see a lion theme.

Under the clothes was a pair of black sandals. There was also a purple hairbrush and several hair accessories he had no clue what to do with. Further down were several books, a cd labeled 'Nora's', and a copy of _The Lion King_ movie. Lastly was a photo album. He decided to save looking through it till later.

"What do you want to do now?" Rossi asked. He was surprised he had made it this far.

Nora pointed to the movie. Rossi picked up the movie and put it into the DVD player. Nora happily grabbed Simba and curled up at the end of the couch turning her full attention to the TV. While she was occupied with the movie Rossi placed everything else back in her bag, minus the photo album, and put it in her room. Next, he dragged his laptop into the den taking residence in one of the armchairs. He pulled up several tabs on how to care for a five-year-old; every now and then glancing up to the animated movie Nora was so interested in.

:::::::

"What do you want to do now?" Rossi asked as the movie ended. Nora shrugged; absently petting Mudgie who had taken residence on the couch with her. Rossi closed his laptop and stood up. "How about we take Mudgie outside to run around for a bit?"

Nora jumped up grabbing Mudgie's attention. Rossi then led them to the backyard and took a seat on the patio as Nora ran around with Mudgie. It was at this time he saw Nora at her happiest. While they played he started making a checklist of things that needed to be done. Some of the things included on his list were setting up Nora's room, buying her more clothes and a few more toys, and finding out more about her. Some of the things were easy while others were going to take more work.

:::::::

After going back inside Rossi and Nora started on dinner. "How do you feel about spaghetti?" Nora shrugged. "Would you like to help me?" This time she nodded.

Soon they were sitting at the counter eating; Mudgie under Nora's feet waiting for her to drop something. "You don't talk much." To prove his point Nora simply nodded and returned to her food. "How about I tell you a little about myself? Would you like that?"

Nora didn't respond at first. She kept her eyes trained on her plate as she swirled her fork around. After several moments of silence, she looked up at Rossi and nodded.

Rossi offered her a small smile. "Let's see, I'm a writer. I work to help catch bad guys. I enjoy hunting and cooking. I come from a loud family. I like the Chicago Cubs. I've visited almost every U.S state. I'm pretty good at video games and poker. I'm also known to be a worthy chess opponent."

Nora smiled at that. "Would you like me to teach you to play after dinner?"

Nora nodded with a smile.

:::::::

Rossi got his board out and set it on the coffee table. "I'm going to run to the restroom and then we'll play."

Nora didn't acknowledge him except for a quick glance as she picked up one of the knights a tossed it around in her hand. When Rossi returned he was surprised to see the board set up and a white pawn sitting on E4 ready to play. Rossi took a seat across from Nora; his joints complaining as he sat on the ground. "I take it you already know how to play?"

Nora nodded. "Alright then," Rossi said moving his own pawn to meet her's.

They sat in silence playing until Rossi eventually won with a checkmate; an end that took a lot of work. Nora definitely gave him a run for his money. "Who taught you to play?"

"Mama," Nora replied sadly as she reset the board.

"I take it you want to play again?" Rossi asked glancing at the time. "One more game then it is bedtime."

Nora nodded as she turned the board around. As Rossi moved his pawn forward he wished he had a camera to capture the look of delight in Nora's eyes as she formulated her strategy.

:::::::

Rossi stood up; his joints once again groaning at the stress. "It's been fun playing, but I think it's bedtime."

Nora lifted her arms up towards him. "I thought we talked about this," Rossi said as he bent down to pick her up.

Nora snuggled into his shoulder as they walked to the guest room he put her bag in. "It's not really a kid's room, but we can fix that later," Rossi said setting her on the bed. "Can you put your own pajamas on or-"

Nora nodded and dug them out of her bag. "Okay, well I'll be outside until you get done."

Rossi waited outside the door until Nora opened it a few moments later. Rossi stepped back into the room. "Now what? Do you want a bedtime story or something?"

Nora held up the CD from her bag. "I think I have a CD player in my office. I'll be right back."

Rossi returned a few moments later with a CD player and Nora handed him the CD. "Dieci (ten)," Nora whispered.

Rossi smiled. "That's progress."

The CD was in a clear case with _Nora's_ written on it and a paper slipped in the back with eleven songs listed on it; the last three with little stars drawn next to them. Number ten was labeled _Don't go Breaking my Heart_. Rossi noted most of the songs were by Elton John.

Nora curled up on the bed with Simba. Rossi soon realized the song was a cover and assumed that's what the star meant. "Who's singing?"

"Mama," Nora yawned, "Bunny."

Rossi nodded as he took a seat in a chair in the corner of the room. His daughter could sing, really well at that. He could hear the happiness in her voice which warmed his soul knowing that if nothing else she had found some happiness in life. The next song started to play; also a cover. It was _Brown Eyed Girl_ and Rossi could see Nora was on the verge of falling asleep.

When the song ended Rossi got up to turn it off. Nora shifted but didn't open her eyes. Rossi put the CD back in its case then moved to the bed where he tucked Nora in. "Goodnight."

:::::::

Originally Rossi has planned to look through the photo album once Nora was in bed. However, as he left her room and walked down the hallway he realized he was tired. Instead, he decided to head to his own room and get ready for bed. As he laid in his bed he thought about the events of the day and how quickly his life had changed. Much like it did for Nora the songs from the CD played in his head and lulled him to sleep.


	3. 3 - Shopping

_Tuesday_

Rossi woke up to hear his doorbell ringing throughout the house. His first reaction was shock at the fact he slept through his alarm. His second was alarm since only a handful of people knew the code to get through his gate. Mudgie jumped up and took off to bark at the door. Rossi followed behind him at a slower pace. He was surprised to find nonother than Erin Strauss at his doorstep. "What do I pay this visit to, Erin?"

Erin stepped into the foyer as Rossi shut the door behind her. "I've never seen you take a day off let alone several weeks. I had to make sure you were still alive and well."

"Thanks for the concern, Erin. I can assure you I am alive and healthy as a horse."

"Then why the ask for personal time?" Erin asked.

He didn't get to answer as Nora shuffled into the room dragging Simba with her. Rossi wished he had a camera to capture Erin's surprised expression. "Erin, meet my granddaughter Nora. Nora, this is Erin." Nora gave her a small smile before lifting her arms up to Rossi. He picked her up. "She's a little shy."

"I see," Erin said straightening her posture. "I was unaware you had a granddaughter."

"I didn't either until yesterday," Rossi replied as he turned to walk into the kitchen. "Would you like to join us for breakfast?"

Erin followed him with a little hesitance. "I have time."

"Good," Rossi said as he set Nora down at the counter. "How do you feel about pancakes?"

Erin tentatively took a seat next to Nora at the counter. "Pancakes are fine."

Rossi started pulling out the ingredients remembering the last time he cooked breakfast for Erin. They had been different people back then and a lot had changed. It was almost surreal to see Erin outside of the BAU again.

"You like Simba?" Erin asked pointing to Nora's stuffed animal. Nora nodded. "My son liked _The Lion King_ when he was your age."

"What time do you need to go into work, Erin?" Rossi asked.

"I have a meeting at eleven," Erin replied. "Why?"

"I was just wondering."

"Joues tu aux échecs (Do you play chess?)" Nora asked looking up at Erin.

"Oui (Yes)," Erin replied in surprise. She turned to Rossi. "French?"

"She uses mostly French. She understands English and has used a little Italian," Rossi replied. "Boards in the den if you two want to play."

Nora didn't even ask before jumping down off the stool and taking off to the den. She only paused in the doorway to make sure Erin was following her. Erin got up and followed her. "She's really good!" Rossi called after them.

:::::::

"So how many games did you lose?" Rossi asked as he set the plates down in front of them.

"Two," Erin replied.

"Out of?"

"Two."

Rossi chuckled. "Told you she was good." Rossi took a seat on the other side of Nora. "Is it good?" Nora nodded as she took another bite. "Erin?"

"Good as always," Erin replied. "Thank you for breakfast, Dave."

"It was nothing," Rossi said taking a bite of his own breakfast.

The rest of the breakfast was mostly spent in an only slightly tense silence. Rossi was the first to stand taking their dirty plates to the sink. "Nora, why don't you go get dressed."

Once Nora was gone Erin turned to Rossi with a serious expression. "I wasn't aware you had any children."

"As I said earlier until yesterday I wasn't aware either," Rossi told her. "Before we play twenty questions I'll just tell you what I know. Yesterday some guy brought Nora to me, told me she was my granddaughter, and that her mother had died. That's about all I know."

"Okay," Erin said processing it. "Are you sure she's actually your granddaughter?"

Rossi sighed. "No, but it's not that far out there. The man said her mom was 36. 36 years ago you and I both know I did a lot of sleeping around. Either way, there is a five-year-old girl who needs someone to look after her and that man picked me for a reason."

Nora ran back into the room with her lion dress and green boots holding her hairbrush and a hair tie. "Aider (help)."

Rossi turned to Erin. "Erin?"

Erin stood up motioning for Nora to sit on the stool. "Come here, Dave. I'm going to give you your first lesson in doing hair. We'll start simple with a ponytail." Erin took the brush from Nora as Dave joined them. "So first you're going to brush the hair out... then you're going to collect it and pull it back... then you're just gonna wrap the hair tie around it a few times... and there you go: a ponytail."

"Merci," Nora said jumping off the stool.

"De rien (You're welcome)," Erin replied.

"Go put your brush up and get your CD if you want to listen to it in the car," Rossi directed to Nora.

"Thank you again for breakfast," Erin said grabbing her purse from the counter. "If you need anything call me."

She was almost to the door when Rossi made a rash decision. "Hey, uhm, the team's coming over Friday for dinner if you would like to join us. It'll be nice to have a translator."

Erin turned around with a tiny smile. "Can I think about it?"

"Sure," Dave replied. "Bye, Erin."

"Goodbye, Dave."

:::::::

"Your own booster seat will definitely be the first thing on our list of things we need to get you," Rossi said as he buckled Nora up in the booster seat he used for Jack.

Once Nora was safely buckled in the backseat Rossi buckled up in his own seat and put Nora's CD in. As he pulled out of the driveway _Hakuna Matata_ from _The Lion King_ filled the car. Other than the music and Nora's quite humming there were no other sounds in the car.

"I was thinking we could get necessities first then clothes," Rossi said as he unbuckled Nora from the car seat after they arrived at the store.

Nora just nodded taking Rossi's hand as they walked across the parking lot. "Do you have a favorite color?"

"Rose."

"That's pink right?"

Nora nodded tightening her hold on Simba and Rossi's hand as they stepped into the busy store. Rossi grabbed a cart and quickly realized he couldn't hold on to Nora and push the cart at the same time. "I'm going to have to push the cart, so I need you to hold on to it, okay?"

Nora nodded grabbing on to the cart as they walked through the store. The first thing placed in the cart was a booster seat that Nora held little interest in helping Rossi pick out. After that, he picked up toiletries children's shampoo and a toothbrush. Nora's interest didn't peak until they reached the clothes. As her eyes grew wide with excitement Rossi knew he had just signed his credit card away, but he didn't mind one bit. It was actually nice to have someone to spend his money on.

Nora did take some pity on him and didn't go too crazy. They were making good progress until they reached the shoes. Rossi found it adorable as she sat on the floor with five pairs of shoes in front of her debating which pair to get. Though, it became slightly less adorable as ten minutes passed by. "Just get all of them."

Nora jumped up and threw her arms around Rossi's legs. Rossi patted her back. "You're welcome. Now put them in the cart."

He'd saved the best for last as he led Nora to the toy aisle. "You can pick out two toys and a few books," Rossi said this knowing that the team, mainly Garcia, would defiantly bring toys to the dinner on Friday.

The limit had no effect on Nora as she made her way to the books. She sat down in front of bookshelves carefully pulling one book down at a time slowly flipping through the pages. Most of them ended back up on the shelf, but a few stayed beside her. Rossi noted a few about lions and stars. Once she was satisfied with her stack of books she moved on to the coloring books; she added one with a ballerina on the cover to her stack. While she transferred the books from her stack to the cart Rossi picked up the largest thing of crayons he saw.

"Now you can get two toys," Rossi reminded her when she made no action to pick any out.

The reminder seemed to spark a small interest. She started exploring her options as they. Rossi was sure they had walked every aisle twice, yet nothing seemed to call to the young child. He had thought it would be hard to limit her, not hard for her to find something she liked. They turned down yet another aisle. It looked familiar to Rossi; had they been down this aisle before or did they all just look the same? Rossi wasn't sure.

A small gasp from Nora caught Rossi's attention as she ran to the end of the aisle. Rossi let out a small chuckle as she jumped up and down trying to grab a box off the top shelf. He walked over lifting the box and handing it to Nora. "Is this what you want?"

Nora nodded proudly holding the box filled with kid versions of handheld percussion instruments. Rossi knew he was in for a headache. "Put it the cart and pick something else out."

Nora set the box in the cart before turning around and quickly spotting another thing that caught her eye; well two things. In one hand she held a child's plastic baton and the other a dance ribbon. "Put them in."

Nora looked back and forth between the baton and dance ribbon before putting the baton back. "I know I said you could only get two things, but they're both small, so we could count them together as one."

Nora shook her head determined to stick to his two toy limit. Rossi went along with it, not wanting to argue with her, but committing the exact one she wanted to memory, so he could get one of the team members to bring it to Friday night's dinner. Nora once again took to holding on to the cart as they made their way to the register to check out. "After we checkout, I was thinking we could get lunch and then do some grocery shopping. How about McDonald's?"

Nora shrugged. Rossi took that as a yes.

:::::::

Lunch and grocery shopping went on without much incident. When they got home Rossi decided to set Nora up with her new coloring book and crayons before dragging all their shopping in. Rossi realized why he didn't like to shop. Getting everything in the house was chore enough then he had to put everything up. First, he put the groceries up, leaving some out for dinner. Next, he took all of Nora's stuff to the guest room she was staying in. Clothes went in the closet and dresser. Her books were stacked on the dresser and her new toys were laid next to her book bag which was sitting on the bench at the end of the bed. A room remodel was in the future, but one step at a time.

By the time everything was put away it was time for him to start dinner. Before he did though, he peaked in on Nora in the den. She was quite adorable sitting on a pillow at the coffee table carefully coloring inside the lines. Maybe, just maybe, this was exactly the life change Rossi needed. Even if the circumstances were unideal.

:::::::

It was after dinner that Rossi realized he had a small problem. Nora needed a bath and he was almost positive she was still a little too young to be left alone in the water. He was also positive bathing a child was much different than bathing Mudgie, and that was a task itself he was yet to master.

Biding some time he occupied Nora with cartoons in the den while going back to the kitchen to clean. Before he did any cleaning though, he pulled out his phone and hit number four on speed dial.

 _"Hello?"_ A voice answered.

"You said if I needed anything to call," Rossi replied.

_"It must be very important if you're actually taking me up on the offer."_

"Nora needs a bath and I don't know what to do," Rossi said.

_"It's not that hard."_

"Erin, please," Rossi stressed. "Can you just come over?"

Erin sighed. _"Fine, I was just leaving the office. I'll be there as soon as I can."_

"Thank you, Erin," Rossi said with a rush of relief.

_"You owe me, David."_

"Of course," Rossi replied before ending the call.

Rossi glanced at the clock noting that Erin probably hadn't had dinner. He fixed her a plate and placed it in the microwave to stay warm before cleaning the kitchen. He had just finished wiping the counters down when the doorbell rang.

"Thank you for coming," Rossi greeted.

"I'm here for Nora," Erin told him. "Speaking of which where is she?"

"She's watching cartoons in the den. Have you had dinner yet? I fixed you a plate if you want to eat beforehand."

"No, I haven't eaten yet. I guess I'll do that first."

"Well come on," Rossi said leading her to the kitchen.

:::::::

"See it's not that hard," Erin said as she finished rinsing Nora's hair.

Rossi nodded from his spot sitting on the toilet lid. "Easier than giving Mudgie a bath."

"Sometimes it is. Some kids are very active making it extremely difficult." Erin helped Nora out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel before picking her up. "Let's go get you into some pajamas."

Rossi pulled the plug in the tub and then followed them to Nora's room. It was different seeing this side of Erin. He knew she had a heart behind the cold exterior she put up, but even when they had been lovers she had had her edges. This was the softest he had seen her. Once Nora was in her pajamas Erin sat down with her on the bed and brushed the tangles out of her hair. "Do you want your CD again tonight?" Rossi asked stepping further into the room.

Erin paused her brushing allowing Nora to nod. Rossi walked over to the nightstand and placed the CD in the radio setting it up for when she was ready. Erin stood up, finished brushing Nora's hair, and pulled the bedding down. Nora climbed into bed snuggling up with Simba. "Goodnight, Nora," Erin said tucking her in.

Rossi kissed her forehead. "Sleep tight." He then hit play on the radio.

Rossi motioned for Erin to follow him out of the room. He left the door cracked for when he went back to turn the radio off later. He walked Erin to the door. "I can't thank you enough for coming tonight."

"It was no problem," Erin replied.

"Still."

"You're welcome, and if you need anything else just call."

Rossi smiled. "I will."

"Goodnight, David."

"Goodnight, Erin."

Rossi watched as Erin walked to her car making sure she got in before he shut the door. He stopped to make sure Nora was a sleep and turned off the radio. He then went to his own room and turned in for the night.


	4. 4 - A Day Around the House

_Very Early Wednesday Morning_

Rossi groaned as a small foot connected with his ribs. He barely cracked his eyes to find Nora crawling on the bed. She paused when she noticed he was awake. He brushed a piece of hair out of her face. "Good morning. What do I owe this wake up call to?"

"Mama," Nora replied sadly.

Rossi sat up pulling the girl in his lap. "You miss her?"

Nora nodded laying her head on his chest. Rossi was at a loss of what to do. He didn't know if she understood her mom was dead or if to her she was just gone on a trip. He also held no stories to remind her of good memories with her mother. "I know you miss her, but you still have a bunch of memories of doing things together. Think of all the fun times you had together."

Nora closed her eyes and nussled her head further into his chest. Rossi continued to rub soothing circles on her back until she was sound asleep. It wasn't long before he too had fallen back to sleep.

:::::::

The second time Rossi woke up it was to the shrill ringing of his cellphone. He used the hand not holding Nora to reach for the phone. He was quick answer it before it woke up Nora. "Agent Rossi speaking."

" _I did some digging like you asked._ "

"And what did you find, Garcia?"

" _Well I didn't have a whole lot to gone on, but I eventually found a promising lead. I had to go in deep. Most hackers wouldn't have been able to do it, but I'm not most hackers. I finally got down to what I thought was the file and my whole system went down. I spent all night getting back into my system and when I did the file was gone. I'm sorry Rossi, but whoever did this most definitely doesn't want Nora's identity revealed._ "

Rossi sighed. "I understand. Thank you for trying Garcia."

 _"Sorry I couldn't be of much help._ "

"Still, thank you anyway."

Rossi had just set his phone back on the nightstand when it started ringing again. With a huff he answered it. Why all the sudden he was Mr. Popular he didn't know. "Agent Rossi speaking."

_"No more digging. Do you understand me? For the safety of everyone involved no more digging."_

"What-" Whoever it was hung up before Rossi could reply. Though if had to guess he was sure it was the same man that had left Nora in his care. Glancing at the clock Rossi decided he might as well get up. He moved Nora to beside him; glad she stayed a sleep. He then got up to get a shower and cook breakfast.

:::::::

Rossi decided to make omalets for breakfast; something easy. When he went to get Nora up a part of him wanted to leave her be. Since his departure she had stretched out like a starfish; Simba dangerously hung off the edge of the bed by his foot. As much as he wanted to let her sleep, he knew she needed to get up and eat while breakfast was still warm.

Moving towards the bed Rossi laid his hand on her back and gently shook it. "It's time to get up."

Nora mumbled something in French, even if he spoke French, Rossi wouldn't have been able to make out. He tried again growing more persistent. "You don't want your food to get cold."

This time her response was in Italian, which he could still barely make out. He did, however, notice when stringing words together her Italian was broken. Which kind of explained why she chose French when he knew Italian. Though, he would have appreciated English the most. Maybe Garcia or Erin could ask her about the choice of French.

Rossi tried once again to get her up. "Mudgie will eat it if you don't get up."

That did the trick as she turned over, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Il ne peut pas avoir ma nourriture (He can't have my food)."

Rossi had no clue what she said, but the look of determination on her face was adorable and he couldn't help but chuckle. "Come on then. You can get dressed after we eat."

She held her arms up. Rossi shook his head. "No, I told you I'm too old to be carrying you everywhere. You've got two legs."

"S'il te plait (Please)?" Nora asked with her best puppy eyes.

Rossi could feel his resolve cracking, but he knew these first few days were going to create a standard for behavior, and he couldn't be carrying her around everywhere. "That doesn't work on me."

"Per favore (Please)?"

But that did. With a sigh, Rossi gave in. "I won't carry you, but I'll give you a piggy back ride."

Nora smiled as she stood up in the middle of the bed with a little hop. Rossi turned around so she could climb up on his back. "All aboard airline Rossi."

Nora giggled; Simba's tail once again tickling Rossi's nose.

:::::::

They were seated at the counter digging into their breakfast. "Today I was thinking we could just sit around the house. Tomorrow we need to go shopping for groceries, and Friday the team I work with is coming over to dinner. If that's okay with you?"

Nora took a minute to think about it before nodding with a hint of a smile.

"They can be a little over bearing, so if you get overwhelmed just let me know."

Nora gave him another nod.

:::::::

After breakfast Nora put on one of her new dresses and sandals. Then came Rossi's first test of memory as she handed him her hair brush and a brightly colored hair tie. "It can't be that hard."

Rossi immediately regretted his words.

The first problem was despite Erin brushing her hair the night before it was still a tangled mess. It took way longer than it should have and a lot of squirming just to get it take enough to do anything with.

The second problem was trying to gather all the hair. Erin had made it look easy, but Rossi couldn't seem to get it. He kept dropping pieces, missing them, they wouldn't lay flat. Finally he gave up and just gathered as much as he could.

The third problem was the tiny little tie. It took Rossi more times then he was willing to admit to get the hair tie wrapped around her hair. Once he finally did get it around her pony tail he was glad they weren't leaving the house. It was lumpy, off center, and the hair tie was so loose it barely held her hair back. Erin had made it look so easy. "Sorry kid, it's the best I can do."

Nora gave him a smile, unfazed. "Merci (Thank you)."

She jumped off the stool and ran to her room. She returned a few minutes later holding out her instruments, still in their package. Rossi took them to open. "Let's take this in the den."

They walked to the den, and Rossi opened the package laying out all the percussion instruments on the coffee table. While Nora tested all of them, Rossi went to get his laptop. He doubted he would get any work done, but he had to try. His publisher wouldn't take any more excuses for the next chapter being late; though, a grandchild you didn't know about being dropped off at your doorstep seemed like a good one.

:::::::

Rossi actually got more done than he thought he would with a five year old wielding several noise makers. He only stopped when Nora tried to climb up in the chair with him. "Simba?"

Rossi's brow crinkled as he pointed to the stuffed lion sitting on the table. "Simba's right there."

"Simba," Nora repeated pointing to the tv.

"Oh," Rossi said closing his laptop. "You want your movie."

She nodded. Rossi stood up lifting Nora out of the chair too. "While I put it on I want you to put your toys back in their basket."

Rossi sat her back down. Nora gave him another nod and started putting the instruments back in their basket. "Thank you," Rossi told her.

:::::::

After the movie Nora helped Rossi whip up a quick lunch. They ate in mostly silence with Mudgie once again waiting under Nora's seat. When they were done eating they took Mudgie outside. Nora was running around the yard with him while Rossi took a phone call with Hotch explaining in more detail what was going on. Hotch reassured him of his ability to do this and reminded Rossi to call if he needed anything. He also offered a play date with Jack that Rossi told him he would get back to him on.

Rossi spent the rest of the time watching Nora playing with Mudgie. She was yelling out commands in French then demonstrating them. Mudgie couldn't have cared less and instead decided to jump over Nora as she tried to explain how to roll over. Rossi had thought Mudgie had reached his old man dog years, but watching the hyper dog it seemed he had just needed a younger playmate.

Rossi pulled out his cellphone and snapped a couple pictures of a hyper Mudgie and a giggling Nora. He then pulled up his contacts and clicked on Erin's name. He found his favorite picture of Mudgie and Nora and attached it to a blank message. His thumb hovered over the send button before he sighed and sent the message. It was only moments later when a message flashed across his screen.

_Cute. Looks like another bath is in order._

Rossi smiled to himself; Erin was right. Nora was covered in dirt, grass, and what looked suspiciously like a twig in her hair. "Are you ready to go inside?"

Nora nodded and ran to meet him at the porch with Mudgie hot on her heels. Rossi stood up and led them inside. Mudgie quickly ran off to his water bowl. Nora moved to head back into the den, but Rossi stopped her. "Bath first."

:::::::

After her bath Rossi set Nora up in the den with coloring books and cartoons. He chose the relatively quite time to check e-mails and make a grocery list for the team dinner. He also texted Garcia about the baton and reminded her to not go completely over board on getting things for Nora. She made no promises since Nora was the first girl of the BAU family. Rossi had seen the amount of stuff Jack and Henry, who was only a few months old, got on a regular basis. He was slightly worried.

When all his e-mails had been checked and the grocery list made he moved to the kitchen to start dinner. Cooking for Nora reminded him how much he missed being in the kitchen. Working for the BAU rarely granted him the time to really cook to the extent he enjoyed to. Rossi's train of thought eventually led him to worry. He worried about what would happen to Nora when he went back to work. He decided to push that one to the farthest corner of his brain. At the moment he was just going to focus on getting Nora as settled as possible.

Rossi allowed the comfort of cooking to fill his senses. Once it was in the oven he returned to the den. His stomach dropped as he found the den empty; crayons neatly put back in their box. He took a deep breath trying to loosen the grip of fear around his heart. Nora was probably just in her room or in the bathroom. With another deep breath he ascended the stairs two a time. He could hear her humming before he reached the top allowing him to let out a grateful breath. When he reached the top of the stairs he found Nora dancing around with her ribbon.

"Hey," He said, trying to keep his voice as even as possible. The last thing he wanted was for Nora to be scarred of walking around in her own home. It was only his own paranoid nature and she had nothing to be worried about. Besides, if the scene of Mudgie laying at the end of the hall watching her was anything to go by Nora had her own personal guard dog.

Nora stopped abruptly and turned to Rossi. "You can continue," Rossi encouraged. "I was just checking in."

Nora stared at him for a few moments before returning to her dancing. Rossi watched her for several moments; once again taking a couple of pictures which he would end up sending to Erin. Much to soon for his liking he had to return downstairs to finish dinner.

:::::::

Dinner was a mostly quite affair followed by another viewing of Nora's beloved _Lion King_ movie which left the young girl yawning. "I think it's time for bed," Rossi said turning the movie off.

Nora tiredly held her arms out. Rossi wordlessly picked her up and carried her to her room. There was no reason fighting her when she was exhausted. He laid her down on the bed and tucked her in. "Do you want your CD?"

She nodded between yawns holding up ten fingers. Rossi turned the CD to the requested track and adjusted the volume. He then leaned down and placed a kiss on her head before doing the same to Simba. The action caused her to giggle. Rossi smiled. "Goodnight."

Nora returned the smile before turning over on her side and closing her eyes. Rossi exited the room leaving the door cracked as he did. He then headed to his office; stopping to get the photo album.


	5. 5 - The Photo Album

Rossi poured himself a glass of scotch as he made himself comfortable on the couch in his office with the photo album in his lap. Hearing Nora express how much she missed her mother he decided it was finally time to look through it. Maybe it would offer him some assistance in being able to soothe Nora's sadness.

The cover of the photo album was a simple black with _Nora_ in gold thread and a picture slot filled with an ultrasound picture. The first few pages were neatly put together; cataloging Nora's first years of life. As time went on the pages got less organized with less detail. Each picture had a little note underneath it. Rossi took the time to read each one, and he even noted the meticulously neat hand writing.

Like one would expect from what Rossi assumed had started as a baby book, the first few pages were mostly filled with a baby Nora. Most of them were just Nora by herself: Nora sleeping, Nora playing with toys, Nora taking a bath. There were a few of people holding her, but their faces were undistinguishable as the pictures had been taken to zero in on Nora.

This first picture to hold a significant shot of another person was from when Rossi guessed Nora was a few months old. It was a man with darker hair and a beard holding her as he read from a book featuring animals. Rossi couldn't be sure, but it could have been the man who dropped Nora off. If it was him, his hair was darker and he looked significantly more youthful in the picture.

The inscription under the picture read: _Nora has Clyde wrapped around her little finger_

_Nora has Clyde wrapped around her little finger_

Clyde, that was a name he hadn't seen in the book yet. Rossi wondered who Clyde was to his daughter and granddaughter. It was just the next page when Rossi came across another picture with a new face and a new name.

The picture featured a slightly older Nora in bunny pajamas with a bottle. Next to her was another baby around the same age if not a little older in car pajamas also with a bottle. They were both laying on a blue and white blanket on a hardwood floor.

The inscription under the picture read: _Nora and Meg are already the best of friends_

_Nora and Meg are already the best of friends_

Rossi wondered who Meg was. Her and Nora seemed too close in age to be siblings plus he could only assume if Nora had a sibling she would have also been placed in his care. Maybe Meg was a cousin. That would have meant his daughter had been raised with siblings. This thought brought a smile to his face as despite their bickering he truly did enjoy growing up with his siblings. Furthermore, Meg could have just been the child of a friend or somehow related to the mysterious man that Rossi had taking to assuming was Clyde.

Rossi continued to look through the pictures and had to chuckle when he came across a picture of Nora trying to push herself up to crawl; her mop of brown hair covering half her face.

The inscription under the picture read: _Finally a day off to spend all my time with my little lion_

_Finally a day off to spend all my time with my little lion_

Rossi wondered if this was the origin of Nora's obsession with Simba. He was also curious if lions had meant just as much to his daughter as they did to Nora.

Right next to the previous picture was a picture of Nora wearing a white outfit with pink flowers. She was mid crawl and very focused on the wood floor below her.

The inscription under the picture read: _My curious little lion learning to crawl. They grow up so fast._

_My curious little lion learning to crawl. They grow up so fast._

Seeing pictures of Nora's milestones made him sad to have missed them. It caused him even more pain thinking about all the milestones he missed in his daughter's life and all the milestones James never got a chance to make. Rossi took a sip of his scotch as he ignored the wetness gathering in the corners of his eyes.

The next page caused Rossi to audibly gasp as his eyes landed on a picture of Nora learning to walk. The picture featured an unknown person holding Nora's little hands as she tested her weight on her own two feet. It wasn't this unknown or even Nora that caused Rossi's reaction, but the brunette figure bent down helping Nora. He could only assume this was Nora's mother, his daughter. The women's face was mostly obscured, but to Rossi she radiated joy and happiness. Here was an idea of a person he had only known about for a few days that he longed to hope that this book contained more pictures of.

The inscription under the picture read: _Teaching Nora how to walk. Craziness ahead for sure._

_Teaching Nora how to walk. Craziness ahead for sure._

Eventually Rossi reached the end of Nora's first year. One of the first pictures after her first birthday was of the same man as before and Nora walking on the beach at sunset.

The inscription under the picture read: _My little lion and her bunny at the beach. Nora loved the water, not so much the sand._

_My little lion and her bunny at the beach. Nora loved the water, not so much the sand._

This time the inscription referred to the man as bunny thus confirming Clyde and the mysterious man were one in the same. That meant he had been an important person in Nora's life from the beginning. It once again made Rossi wonder why Clyde hadn't taken Nora in himself.

Below the beach picture was a picture that made Rossi 'awe'. Nora was sitting on a table in a white dress. Her hair was pinned back with a flower pin and she had a big grin on her face.

The inscription under the picture read: _Flower girl for Kate's wedding._

_Flower girl for Kate's wedding._

He wondered who Kate was. She could have been a sister which would fit with idea of Meg being a cousin or she could have been just a friend. The possibilities were endless; however, Rossi found it important to note she was the only other adult noted besides Clyde so far.

Before long Rossi found another picture that he just found adorable. It was taken at a park as Nora held on to the bottom branch of a tree. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail and she was sporting a light pink tutu.

The inscription under the picture read: _A day at the park. Nora's second favorite thing at the moment is a tutu. The only thing above it is Simba._

_A day at the park. Nora's second favorite thing at the moment is a tutu. The only thing above it is Simba._

So Simba had always been an important part of Nora's life.

Not too far after the park picture was another picture that mentioned Kate. It showed a brunette women with her back to the camera holding Nora as she pointed to a hot air balloon in the distance. Rossi couldn't be sure if the women was Kate or his daughter; though, her hair did seem lighter than the picture of Nora learning to walk.

The inscription under the picture read: _Kate surprised us with a trip to see hot air balloons. Nora loved seeing all the different colors._

_Kate surprised us with a trip to see hot air balloons. Nora loved seeing all the different colors._

So Kate was in Nora's life enough to surprise them with trips. That could fit with his sister theory.

Rossi turned the page entering the less organized section of the book. These pictures weren't surrounded with borders and cutouts, and they were more spread out over the next years of Nora's life.

One picture showed Nora in a black romper as she stood on a dock over a lake. It reminded Rossi of the lake at the back of his property where he liked to fish and duck hunt.

The inscription under the picture read: _A day at the lake. Nora was upset I wouldn't let her get in the water._

_A day at the lake. Nora was upset I wouldn't let her get in the water._

Rossi was starting to notice a theme of loving water. Maybe once the weather warmed up a little more he could take Nora to the lake to go swimming.

One picture showed Nora on a tricycle. This image added to the ache in Rossi's heart as it added to just more missed milestones.

The inscription under the picture read: _Nora's first bike. Clyde was so funny chasing her around just in case she fell_.

_Nora's first bike. Clyde was so funny chasing her around just in case she fell._

It seemed Clyde was more than just a fleeting character in Nora's life if he was there when she was learning to ride a bike. Rossi allowed the idea of Clyde being involved with his daughter cross his mind.

Another picture showed Nora standing infront of an aquarium reaching out to touch the glass.

The inscription under the picture read: _A day full of questions and learning. My answers weren't satisfactory and we had to take a trip to the library._

_A day full of questions and learning. My answers weren't satisfactory and we had to take a trip to the library._

Rossi decided to add a trip to the aquarium and zoo to his list of activities for Nora. Maybe he could even get Garcia to compile a list of kid museums Nora might like.

The next picture once again featured water and Meg. The picture showed the two girls and a women standing on a covered dock at sunset as birds flew around them. Meg seemed more interested in feeding the birds while Nora was a few inches short of falling over the banister and into the water.

The inscription under the picture read: _Meg and Nora loved feeding the birds and watching the sun set._

_Meg and Nora loved feeding the birds and watching the sun set._

Much like Kate and Clyde Rossi realized that Meg had also been a relatively regular fixture in Nora's life.

Rossi turned to the last page of glued in pictures. He decided the first one on the page was his favorite. Nora's hair was curled and she was wearing a dusty pink dress. The top of the dress had a fancy flower embroidery of the same color. She was leaning against a wall and the light was just right framing her in a rainbow halo. Her expression was neither a smile nor a frown but a challenge. By the inscription under the picture Rossi assumed the look of challenge was for having to dress up for the event.

The inscription under the picture read: _The before of the Ambassador's Summer dinner. Nora barely sat long enough for me to curl her hair._

_The before of the Ambassador's Summer dinner. Nora barely sat long enough for me to curl her hair._

Rossi wondered what the after looked liked. He also wondered how his daughter had come to attend an ambassador's dinner, and which ambassador it had been. For his daughter to have attended an ambassador's dinner that meant either his daughter or her parents had been in the political circle. Sadly that didn't help narrow down a potential mother. Rossi had spent his early days in the FBI doing everything he could do to avoid fancy galas and dinners. His most used method of avoidance was finding a women who wanted to leave just as much as he did. That had been how his relationship with Erin had started after all.

One picture showed Nora and Meg in the pool with matching inner tubes and pink sunglasses.

The inscription under the picture read: _Nora and Meg are two peas in a pod._

_Nora and Meg are two peas in a pod._

Rossi was starting to assume Meg had been Nora's best if not also only friend.

Rossi frowned when he reached the last picture; though, it was a good a picture. The picture was in black and white and showed Meg and Nora sitting on a log. They were both laughing, paying mind to the camera. Rossi noticed Nora was wearing an Eiffel Tower necklace. That could be the connection to French.

The inscription under the picture read: _These two are always up to something._

_These two are always up to something._

It made Rossiwonder what happened to Nora's best friend. Had they said goodbye or did they not know Nora was leaving? Glancing at the clock he realized he had been looking through the book for two hours. Rossi was turning a few more pages to make sure he didn't miss any pictures when about four fell into his lap. He picked them up carefully, gasping when he turned them over. Staring up at him was exactly what he'd been hoping to find: his daughter.

In the first picture her hair was pulled up as she wore a light blue dress with elegant floweral embroidery. She was standing in a fancifully decorated entry way. Rossi carefully flipped the picture over to read the inscription on the back.

The inscription on the back of the picture read: _The Ambassador's Summer dinner right before Nora got sick and puked everywhere much to Mother's horror._

_The Ambassador's Summer dinner right before Nora got sick and puked everywhere much to Mother's horror._

That was another mention of the Ambassador's dinner, and Rossi gathered it was her mother that ran in the political circle. The inscription also answered his after of the before.

The next picture showed his daughter standing on a porch in a white button up and jeans. She wasn't looking at the camera which was explained in the inscription.

The inscription on the back of the picture read: _Clyde trying to be sneaky._

_Clyde trying to be sneaky._

In the next picture her hair was curled in an updo and she was wearing a green dress. She was smiling ear to ear which caused Rossi to smile also.

The inscription on the back of the picture read: _From Tsia's wedding. I was the maid of honor._

_From Tsia's wedding. I was the maid of honor._

Tsia was a new name. Rossi noted there wasn't a whole lot of people mentioned in the book. Just Meg, Clyde, Kate, and Tsia. It seemed their circle had been limited to only a few people.

Rossi spent the longest looking at the last picture. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was wearing a blue tank top. It looked like she was standing in a kitchen. Once again she was smiling at something behind the camera. Rossi liked the simplicity of it.

The inscription on the back of the picture read: _Casual movie night in. (Clyde trying to be sneaky part 2.)_

_Casual movie night in. (Clyde trying to be sneaky part 2.)_

Rossi placed the pictures back in the book and carefully set the book on his shelf behind his desk. With a sigh he stood up grabbing his scotch glass that was still half full. He turned the light off in the office and took his glass to the kitchen. On his way to his room he peaked in on Nora; almost tripping over Mudgie who was sleeping at her door. Seeing she was still sound asleep he went to his own room and shut the door as he let the night's emotion fall upon him.


	6. 6 - Union Jack

_Thursday Morning_

Rossi was glad to wake up to his alarm. It was a welcomed annoyance compared to his early morning wake up calls the days prior. As he got ready for the day Rossi once again did a mental checklist of everything he needed for the next night's dinner. He planned to make homemade ravioli with a light salad and roasted vegetables. He was excited to include Nora in the process like his nonna had done with him as a kid.

Rossi decided to keep breakfast simple with omelets. First, though, he had to wake Nora up. To his surprise, when he entered the room she was already dressed and sitting on the floor struggling to tie her shoes. "Need any help?"

Nora dropped her hands to her side with a sigh and nodded. Rossi bent down and slowly tied the shoes, so she could see the process. "It's okay. We'll work on it."

He stood up and offered his hand out for Nora to do the same. "I was thinking omelets for breakfast."

Nora took his hand with a smile.

:::::::

"Hold on to the shopping cart like last time," Rossi instructed as they entered the grocery store. Breakfast had went simply and quietly. He'd once again failed to do her hair as well as Erin; they'd settled for leaving it down.

Nora grabbed on to the shopping cart as Rossi slowly pushed the cart through the store. He grabbed the things they needed off the higher shelves while he included Nora in the process by allowing her to grab the things on the lower shelves.

Once they had everything they needed for dinner Rossi turned down the cereal aisle. As much as he enjoyed making breakfast for Nora every morning, he knew it wouldn't always be doable. "What kind do you like?"

He patiently watched as she walked up and down the aisle. She finally settled on a box and brought it back to him. "Coco Krispies?"

Nora nodded taking back her spot of holding on to the shopping cart. They went on like that down several aisles as Rossi allowed Nora to pick her favorite of several snack option. Rossi was quickly learning to have more patience, something he had never been really good at; unless it involved cooking. He didn't mind too much, though.

"I think that's everything," Rossi stated looking at the incredibly full shopping cart. They wouldn't need to go grocery shopping for at least a month.

Nora glanced between the pile and her right hand clutching Simba before setting him on top. She then started humming a song Rossi recognized from her movie; something about being a king, he wasn't really sure.

:::::::

Rossi and Nora returned home just long enough to unload the groceries and for him to grab Nora's file. They then got right back in the car and headed to the office. Despite him being on vacation Rossi still wanted to be productive prompting him the need to pick up some files. After that he planned to meet with his lawyer.

"I just need to grab some files real quick," Rossi said as he bent down to clip a visitor's badge to Nora's shirt.

With her badge in place they made their way to the elevator. When the elevator doors opened they were greeted by Penelope. "Hey guys."

"Good afternoon, Garcia."

"What are you two up to?"

"I'm picking up a few files then I have a meeting."

Penelope glanced down at Nora. "How long's the meeting going to be?"

"I'm not sure; an hour or so," Rossi replied.

"You know I'm heading out on a long lunch, and I wouldn't mind taking Nora with me. That way she doesn't have to sit through your meeting. That is if it's okay with you, sir."

Rossi looked down at Nora. "Do you want to go have lunch with Penelope?"

Nora's eyes darted between the two adults very unsure. "I know this little place that's right across from a park, so maybe we could go there after lunch."

"It's okay if you want to go. Penelope's way more fun than a meeting," Rossi told her.

Nora nodded letting go of Rossi's hand and taking Penelope's outstretched one. "I can bring her back to the office for you to pick up or I can drop her off at your house."

"I'll call you and let you know." Rossi bent down to Nora's level. "Be good for Penelope, and I'll see you later." He stood back up digging around in his pocket. "Here's my keys to get her car seat."

Penelope shook her head. "I have a car seat in my car for when I watch Jack that'll work for today."

"Okay," Rossi said walking towards the elevator. "I'll see you later."

Penelope waited for Rossi to get on the elevator before looking down at Nora. "We're going to have so much fun."

:::::::

"What kind of music do you like?" Penelope asked once they were in the car.

Nora shrugged with Simba protectively clutched in her arms. "I have a Disney playlist," Penelope offered.

Nora gave her a small smile. Penelope took that as an okay, so she pressed play on the radio. _Friend Like Me_ filled the car as Penelope backed out of the parking lot.

"Avez-vous un plat préféré? (Do you have a favorite food?)," Penelope asked as she decided to try a different approach to get Nora to open up a little.

Nora perked up a little. "Spaghetti et gâteau. (Spaghetti and cake.)"

"J'espère pas ensemble. (I hope not together.)"

Nora shook her head with a giggle. "Maman ne peut cuire que des spaghetti. (Mom can only make spaghetti.)"

Penelope noticed the small shift in Nora's tone as she mentioned her mother. "Le plat signature de ma mère était des hamburgers végétariens. Nous les avions au moins une fois par semaine. Aussi beaucoup de tacos au poisson. (My mom's signature dish was veggie burgers. We had them at least once a week. Also a lot of fish tacos.)" Penelope told her trying to bring back her smile.

"Bunny commandes de pizza. Il a mis le feu à la cuisine. (Bunny orders pizza. He set the kitchen on fire.)" Nora said, her smile once again appearing.

"Je ne peux pas cuisiner beaucoup non plus. (I can't cook much either.)"

"L'oncle Chris cuisine sur le grill. Tante Katie fait le meilleur gâteau. (Uncle Chris cooks on the grill. Aunt Katie makes the best cake.)"

Those were new names. Penelope made a mental note to tell Rossi about them. The rest of the ride continued with the back and forth of foods they liked and who cooked them best. Penelope learned that Nora's mother couldn't really cook beyond simple meals to keep Nora fed and that Aunt Katie was apparently a five star chef in the child's eyes.

Penelope smiled as she watched Nora's eye grow wide as they entered the cafe. The walls were a light grey with crisp white crowning and counters. The floor was a rustic hardwood. There were fairy lights strung across the room with greenery pots hung from the ceiling. There was a tall bookshelf stuffed with books plus a kid's corner with its own bookshelf and multiple seating options. What really seemed to draw Nora's attention was the London skyline silhouette rug and Union Jack tables. There were also sculptures of a double decker bus, Big Ben, and a life sized phone booth. "What do you think?"

"Woah," Nora whispered doing a little twirl to take everything in.

Penelope lead her to a booth close to the kid's corner and the window. Nora instantly leaned over the long menu. "Do you need any help?" Penelope asked. Nora shook her head. "Okay, let me know if you need assistance."

"What can I get you guys to drink?" The young waiter asked as he walked up to their table with a pen and note pad.

"Can I get a large earl grey tea and," Penelope looked across the table at Nora.

"Même. (Same.)"

"And a kid's earl grey tea."

"Okay. I'll be right back with your drinks."

"Thank you," Penelope said turning her attention back to Nora. "Do you know what you want to eat?"

Nora nodded pointing to a sandwich under the kid's menu. "Okay."

The waiter returned shortly with their drinks. "And what can I get you guys to eat?"

"A kid's club sandwich and a garden salad with dressing on the side."

The waiter wrote down their order. "It'll be out shortly."

Penelope gave him a smile. "Do you want to go get a book to look at?"

Nora turned around in the booth scanning the kid's corner that was empty due to it being a school day. Nora turned back around in the booth and gave Penelope a small nod. "Go ahead."

Nora slowly slid off the booth and approached the bookshelf. Penelope watched with interest as Nora grabbed a book with a blue cover and brought it back to the table. "You like stars?"

Nora nodded. Penelope watched as Nora traced the different consolations. "Do you have a favorite?"

"Grande Ourse. (Big Dipper.)"

"Good choice."

:::::::

"Hey," Rossi turned around to see Erin walking up behind him.

"Erin."

"What brings you to the office today? Where's Nora?"

"I'm picking up some files to work on while I'm on leave," Rossi said pointing to his bag that was now filled with several files. "And Nora is having lunch with Garcia."

"You sure you're feeling okay? Taking a months leave and volunteering to do paperwork with in a week. That's very uncharacteristic for you," Erin said with a hint of a smile

"Well, I guessed paperwork was better than going stir crazy from not working for a month."

Erin gave a nod of agreement knowing how he could. "By the way, I was wondering if I need to bring anything to dinner tomorrow."

Rossi smiled. "No, I've got everything covered. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Goodbye, David."

"Bye, Erin"

:::::::

"I'll be right here," Penelope told Nora as she sat down on a bench. "Just stay in this area and yell if you need me."

Nora bit her lip as she scanned the park that had a few younger kids running around that weren't in school yet. She took a tentative step towards the playground before changing her mind and turning back to join Penelope on the bench. "Or you can sit here with me."

Nora nodded continently sitting on the bench swinging her feet with Simba in her lap. Penelope pulled out her phone checking a few emails allowing Nora to talk when she wanted to.

They sat like that for several minutes until Nora quietly stood up and turned to Penelope. "Pouvez-vous me pousser sur les balançoires, s'il vous plaît? (Can you push me on the swings, please?)" She asked timidly.

Penelope smiled. "Of course." She stood up holding her hand out for Nora who took it, and they walked to the swings.

Penelope quickly realized even if Nora seemed timid in social situations she had no fear of danger. The higher she swung the higher she asked to go. Penelope felt bad when she had to pull Nora back to the ground because her long lunch could only be so long. She checked her phone to see if Rossi had text her; he hadn't. "Do you want to see my bat cave?"

"Chauve-Souris? (Bats?)"

Penelope laughed. "Not quite. My bat cave is my office."

Nora gave a slow nod of understanding even if she didn't quite get it. "You'll see. It's pretty cool if I do say so myself."

:::::::

Rossi didn't know what he expected when he entered Penelope's office, but what he found wasn't quite it. Penelope was sitting in her usual chair with Nora in her lap. She was working around Nora, typing on one monitor while Nora's attention was on the lions on another. Every so often Penelope would quote a line right as it was being said or sing a line from a musical number causing Nora to giggle.

Rossi wasn't sure how long he stood in the doorway watching them before speaking. "It looks like you guys are having fun."

Penelope turned around. "You scared me. That wasn't right."

Rossi stepped further into the office. "My apologies. You guys just looked like you were having so much fun I didn't want to interrupt."

"We were just watching Lion King 2," Penelope replied. "Weren't we?"

Nora nodded as she turned in Penelope's lap to return to her viewing of the movie. "How was your meeting?"

"As good as it could have been," Rossi replied. "How was your lunch?"

"It was good. We'll have to do it again sometime."

Despite being enthralled in her movie Nora gave a nod of agreement. "Yeah, we can set something up," Rossi said. "I hate to break this up, but I think it's time we get home. We got a dinner that needs to be made and baths that need to be had."

Nora turned around. "Rester. (Stay.)"

Penelope patted her shoulder "I'll see you tomorrow. We can finish the movie then."

Nora slid off Penelope's lap with a small frown. To both their surprises Nora turned around and flung her arms around Penelope in a hug. Despite having sat in Penelope's lap a hug seemed more personal and opening than what Rossi and Penelope expected from the relatively reserved girl when it came to anyone other than Rossi. "Au revoir. (Goodbye.)"

Penelope wrapped her arms around Nora. "Au revoir."

Rossi held his hand out for Nora. "Thank you again, Garcia."

"You're welcome, sir."


	7. 7 - Team Dinner

_Friday_

Rossi woke up with a start. The night before he'd once again stayed up in his office going over the photo album. Less exhausted, his dreams had been filled with the images of Nora and his daughter. Eventually they had morphed into darkness as he dreamt of his daughter's death over and over. Having been on the job for years he'd seen the many ways one could meet an untimely death, and he'd dreamt of his daughter's death in too many scenarios. To say it hadn't been a restful night would have been an under statement.

Still Rossi sat up, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath to steady his racing heart. Today was going to be a good day. He was going to spend the day teaching Nora how to cook, and his team was coming for a nice family dinner. It was going to be a good day.

Rossi swung his legs over the edge of the bed and slid his slippers on. He stood up and ran a hand through his graying hair as he walked to his closet. It was going to be a good day.

Rossi got dressed slowly, savoring the early morning quiet. As he did, he was mentally going through the list of things that needed to be done that day: get Nora up, cook dinner, clean up around the house, and message the team. Once he was dressed Rossi walked back over to his bed and sat down. He sent a message to the team reminding them of the dinner and what time to come. That was one thing off his list. It was going to be a good day.

Rossi made his way to Nora's room. This time he didn't almost trip over Mudgie for he was laying at Nora's feet. Rossi was surprised to see Nora was already up. He paused; however, when he realized she was talking to herself. He couldn't understand what she was saying, but he did catch the words mom and bunny. That was enough to let him guess she wasn't talking to herself but to her mother. It was bittersweet hearing the inflation of Nora's voice as she was obviously at an exciting part of her story. He waited until she was quiet before making his presence known. "Good morning."

Nora jumped, turning around to see who it was. When she saw Rossi standing at the door she gave him a small smile and wave. "Sorry to interrupt, but we have a long day ahead of us. I'm going to start breakfast, and you can join once you get dressed."

Nora stood up walking to her closet; Mudgie trailing after her. Rossi turned back around to leave. It was going to be a good day because he had Nora, and she needed him.

:::::::

They were seated in the den after breakfast as Nora colored and Rossi looked over files. "I was thinking we could start dinner after lunch. I was hoping you would want to help. Would that be something you're interested in?"

Nora nodded; her focus not leaving her drawing.

Rossi leaned forward to catch a glimpse of her picture. "That's a good picture."

Nora smiled. "Merci (Thank you)."

"Prego (You're welcome)."

Rossi returned to his files. He was quickly remembering his self diagnosed allergy to paperwork, but it was as close to work as he could get.

:::::::

Nora had taken to exploring the house while Rossi checked on dinner. He had just placed the lid back on the pot when the door bell rang. He wasn't surprised when he was met with Penelope holding several bags. "Before you say anything, it's not actually that much."

"I'm sure," Rossi replied moving to let her in.

"Where is the little gumdrop, anyway?"

"She is exploring the 'castle'. If you find Mudgie, Nora's not too far away,"

Penelope smiled. "Thanks. I'll go set this stuff in your den, and then I'll go find the little gumdrop."

Rossi returned the kitchen while Penelope started her venture through Rossi Mansion. She eventually found Mudgie sitting outside Rossi's office. Peaking inside she saw Nora sitting on the floor with a black book in her lap. "Hey."

Nora looked up and offered Penelope a smile.

"What you looking at?"

"Livre d'images de maman. (Mom's picture book.)"

Penelope took a seat next to Nora. "Is it okay if I join you?"

Nora nodded turning back to the beginning of the book; slowly turning pages and giving commentary when necessary. Penelope noticed the frown that over took Nora when she came across the pictures of her mom. "Elle est très jolie. (She's very pretty.)"

"La plus jolie maman du monde. Tante Kate a dit que je suis le petit jumeau de maman _._ (The prettiest mom in the whole world. Aunt Kate said I'm mom's little twin.)"

"Elle avait raison. (She was right.)"

Nora smiled. "Maman me manque. Bunny a dit qu'elle devait partir. (I miss mom. Bunny said she had to go away.)"

Penelope wrapped an arm around Nora. "Je sais que c'est triste, mais ta maman sera toujours dans ton cœur et dans ton esprit. Quand mes parents me manquent, je fais un pique-nique et je leur parle. C'est réconfortant. (I know it's sad, but your mom will always be in your heart and your mind. When I miss my parents I have a picnic and talk to them. It's comforting.)"

Nora looked at Penelope quizzidly. "Ta maman est partie? (Your mom is gone?)"

Penelope nodded sadly. "Mes parents sont morts quand j'avais dix-huit ans, mais j'ai encore beaucoup de bons souvenirs, tout comme vous, de votre maman. (My parents died when I was eighteen, but I still have many happy memories just like you do of your mom.)"

"Je parle avec elle, (I talk to her,)" Nora said hanging her head, suddenly finding the carpet very interesting. "Meg parle à ses parents. Elle ne s'en souvient pas. (Meg talks to her parents. She doesn't remember them.)" Nora looked up at Penelope. "Vais-je oublier ma maman? (Will I forget my mom?)"

"Je ne peux pas promettre que tu n'oublieras pas les détails, mais tu n'oublieras jamais complètement ta mère. Pourquoi ne me parles-tu pas d'elle? Si tu veux. (I can't promise you won't forget details, but you'll never completely forget your mom. Why don't you tell me about her? If you want.)"

Nora twisted her face in thought. "Pouvons-nous avoir un pique-nique un jour et parler ? (Can we have a picnic one day and talk?)"

Penelopeoffered a soft smile. "Bien sûr. (Of course.)"

:::::::

When Penelope and Nora returned to the den they were surprised to find the rest of the team already there; the pile of gifts having grown since Penelope had left.

Rossi stood up. "Everyone this is my grandaughter Nora. Nora, this is the team I work with. There's Morgan, Reid, Elle, and JJ. Aaron, his wife Haley, and their son Jack." At his name the three year old waved eagerly.

Nora's eyes scanned the room nervously. She gave them a formal smile, but none of them missed the way she took a step back towards Penelope. To her benefit they had all expected a worse introduction.

"Present time?" Penelope asked turning to Rossi.

Rossi sighed. "Go ahead."

Penelope excitedly took a seat on the floor next to the pile of gifts motioning for Nora to follow. The team was a tad surprised when Nora chose to sit in Penelope's lap.

"Our team likes to spoil the BAU kids, and since you are the newest member of the BAU kids it is your turn," Penelope explained picking up the closes box wrapped in red and blue striped wrapping paper. "This one is from Derek."

Nora hesitantly opened the gift to reveal a baby doll. "Merci (thank you)." She said giving Derek a small, but genuine smile.

Derek smiled back. "You're welcome."

Penelope handed Nora a purple bag with white tissue paper. "This one's from Elle."

Rossi resisted the urge to roll his eyes when Nora pulled out several Lego sets. "Merci," Nora said also offering Elle a smile.

Next Penelope handed her a pink and white polka dotted box. "This one is from JJ."

Nora unwrapped the box to reveal a soccer ball. "Merci."

"You're welcome."

The next box had the same wrapping paper. Penelope knew it had to be from Reid before even reading the tag. She'd seen him try to wrap gifts before, so it seemed he'd allowed JJ to take over the struggle this time. "This is from Reid."

Reid started rambling from his place on the floor. "I didn't know what to get, but Garcia mentioned you liked books. I've read a lot of books, so... uhm... Garcia also mentioned you like stars, so I picked out several books on astrology that I thought you might like. I tried to stick with ones that are targeted at your age demographic."

Nora thoughtfully ran her hand down the spine of one of the books before tracing the Big Dipper on the cover. "Merci," Nora said. If anyone noticed her smile was a little bigger with Reid's thank you they didn't say anything.

Penelope handed Nora another bag; this time in pink. "This one is from boss man."

"I picked it," Jack announced excitedly.

Nora pulled three Barbie dolls out of the bag. One, her obvious favorite as her smile grew, of the three was a ballerina. "Merci."

"You're welcome."

The door bell rang. Rossi got up to answer it. "Continue. I'll be right back."

Nora started opening the gifts from Penelope which included play doh, a bunch of Disney movies, the baton, a few dresses, and several head bands. "Merci."

"De rein."

"Looks like we have one more guest," Rossi, followed by Erin, said joining them back in the den.

Erin held out a bag for Nora. "This is for you."

Erin was visibly nervous being put in a social situation with the team outside of the safety of the FBI walls. The team was also thrown for a loop worried their casual evening had been ruined.

Nora and Jack were both immune to the tension in the room as Nora opened the bag to reveal a Lion King blanket. "Merci."

"De rien."

"Penelope, Erin why don't you help Nora take everything to her room," Rossi said using it as an excuse to get Nora and Erin out of the room.

"Me help too?" Jack asked.

"Go ahead," Hotch told him.

Once they were out of the room Morgan turned to Rossi. "You invited Strauss to our team dinner?"

"She's not as bad as you think. Once upon a time we were actually good friends. She's also good with Nora. So, yes I invited her to our dinner."

The team was silent. Hotch was the first to speak. "What did you make for dinner?"

Rossi grinned. "Homemade Ravioli."

"Rossi, we've got to do something with Nora's room," Penelope announced walking back into the room.

"That's the plan this weekend."

"I offer my style and assistance."

"If you need help painting or anything you know where to find me," Morgan offered.

"I'll definitely take you guys up on the offer."

:::::::

"Dinner was delicious," Haley complimented.

"Thank you."

"It's good to see some things never change," Erin stated.

Rossi smiled. "There's no since in changing when the recipe is perfection and has been since my great nonna passed it down."

"Film maintenant (Movie now?)" Nora asked turning to Penelope.

"I think now is a perfect time for a movie. Everyone who wants to watch a movie follow me to the den," Penelope announced.

:::::::

Hotch pulled Rossi to the side as everyone else was focused on the movie. They took their drinks and slipped out on to the patio. "How's your well deserved vacation time?"

Rossi took a sip of his drink. "You know how much I love my work, but it's really nice to have the opportunity to love someone else, and I could never give that up."

"Family changes a man."

Rossi nodded in agreement. "Now why did you really drag me out because it wasn't to ask about my time off work."

Hotch sighed. "I wanted you to be the first to know that we're getting a new agent next week."

Rossi's brow raised. "I thought they were trying to cut the budget?"

Hotch's frown deepened. "They are, but they know how valuable the team is and with Gideon leaving, JJ's maternity leave, Elle's medical leave, and your vacation time we recently seem to always be down an agent. Though I have a sinking suspension there's pressure from somewhere. I was reading her file, and it's a little too perfect. She's supposedly coming off a desk job. It sounded like a sales pitch."

Rossi's frown deepened to match Hotch's. "Did you talk to Strauss about it?"

"I did. Supposedly it went over her head and she's furious."

Rossi took a deep breath. "I see what you mean. So what's the new agents name?"

"Kate Callahan. If her file is accurate she'll be a good asset to the team. I just don't see how she's so skilled from a desk job."

Rossi's mind instantly went to the Kate mentioned in the photo album. It was just a coincidence, right? Kate was a relatively common name, never mind the million names Kate was short for. It had to be just a coincidence. Rossi finally gathered his thoughts to reply to Hotch. "I guess we'll just have to see."


	8. 8 - Oh, The Places You'll Go

Rossi and Hotch talked for a bit longer before making their way back into the house. The adults were scattered out among the couches and chairs while Reid and Penelope laid on a pile of blankets on the floor with Nora and Jack between them.

Hotch walked over to join Haley on the love seat while Rossi took a seat in the last empty armchair.

Occasionally Penelope would quote a line or sing along to a song on the movie. Occasionally Reid would point out a factual error causing Jack and Nora to giggle. It was the happiest Rossi had seen Nora so far which made him glad he had decided to have the team over. Maybe they would just have to have these get togethers more often.

:::::::

"Thank you for coming," Rossi said as he walked Strauss to the door.

"How could I turn down one of your famous dinners?"

"You have before," Rossi spoke without anger. The past was the past.

Strauss tilted her head and crossed her arms. "That was a long time ago. We were different people then; I was in a different place."

Rossi sighed. "I know." He smiled. "It was still really good to have you here tonight. Maybe we can be friends again?"

Strauss nodded slowly. "Friends."

Rossi chuckled. "Besides I could use a translator."

Strauss smiled. "We will see." She turned to leave. "See you later."

Rossi opened the door for her. "Later."

:::::::

Rossi reentered the den and was greeted with Penelope and Nora still laying on the pile of blankets on the floor looking at something on Penelope's phone. "What are you two doing?"

Penelope looked up. "We were just looking at ideas for Nora's room. What's your budget? How opposed are you to drilling in the walls?"

"I don't know and it depends, but right now it's bedtime."

Nora frowned. "Penny rester (Penny stay)?"

"Sadly I have work in the morning, but I wish I could stay."

"S'il vous plaît (please)?" Nora asked again.

Getting the gist of the problem Rossi stepped in. "How about Penelope reads you a bedtime story instead?"

Nora perked up. "Allons (come on)."

Rossi and Penelope both chuckled as Nora jumped up and started tugging on Penelope's hand for her to follow. "I'll take that as a yes."

Rossi nodded. "Don't forget to put on your pajamas first."

:::::::

Rossi entered Nora's room right as she pulled a book from the dresser and handed it to Penelope, who was waiting next to the bed. "Oh, the Places You'll Go, a classic. Good choice."

"L'histoire préférée de maman au coucher (Mama's favorite bedtime story)."

Rossi watched as a sad smile crossed Penelope's face. "Makes it an even better choice then. Now get comfy."

Nora followed her words and curled up on the bed with Simba securely pinned under her arm.

Rossi watched as Penelope carefully opened the book. She paused, glancing at the inside cover, before turning the page. He noticed several envelopes laying between the cover and first page. They would have to wait till after Nora was asleep.

With Nora snuggled up in bed Penelope started reading, "Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!..."

:::::::

Rossi followed Penelope into the hall, pulling the door ajar behind him. The book was still held firmly in her hands. She handed the book to Rossi. "You might want to look at this."

"Okay," Rossi said taking the book. "Thank you for tonight- and the other day."

Penelope smiled. "No problem. It is my duty as a fairy godmother after all."

Rossi smiled. "Still, I really appreciate it."

Penelope nodded. "Just let me know when you want to do her room."

"I will."

"And I owe her a picnic."

Rossi chuckled. "Okay?"

Penelope turned to walk down the stairs before pausing. "Oh, the other day at lunch she mentioned an Aunt Katie and Uncle Chris. I just thought you should know."

"There was mention of a Kate in the photo album I found, but Chris is new."

"I don't know if it's helpful, but I just thought you should know. According to Nora he's a pretty good grill master. Oh, and your daughter didn't get the Rossi cooking gene."

Rossi smiled sadly. "Thank you again."

Penelope nodded. "You have my number if you need me."

"Will do."

:::::::

Rossi took the book to his office. He took a seat at his desk laying it in front of him. Hesitantly, he opened the book and found the inside of the cover was written in and several envelopes laid a top the other page. He removed the envelopes, there were four, and noted all but one were addressed to 'mom'.

He put them aside and decided to first focus on what was written in the book. The handwriting was delicate. Who ever had written it had taken their time.

_Dear Emily,_   
_This is the hardest thing I have ever had to write. There are so many things I want, need to tell you, but there is only so much page for me to write on. I know as you get older you will have many questions. You will probably resent me or maybe you will not care at all, but do know I love you. Giving you to another family is a decision I have agonized over for the majority of my pregnancy. I finally came to the conclusion it is for the best. I would not be a fair mother. You deserve the world, and I can not give it to you. You need two loving parents to be there for you, and I am alone and very career oriented. I know those reasons may not seem good enough to you, but they add up to a lot of negatives on my part._   
_I have loved you since the day I knew you existed. I have never loved someone as much as I love you. I know this will be hard for you to understand, since to you it seems like I abandoned you. But sometimes loving someone means letting them go; give them the best shot at life._   
_I chose this book because I know you are going to do great things. The name Emily means to be a hard worker and to strive. That is why I chose it for you. I am not sure if your parents will keep it as such, but I am sure any name they give you will be just as fitting. They are good people and were very kind to me. You will love your life with them._   
_Just know that no matter where you go in this world you will always be my baby girl._   
_Love,_   
_Your Mom_

Rossi had to pause to wrap his mind around the letter. It had answered a few of his questions. Mainly if his daughter had been put up for adoption. It also gave him a name; though, it wasn't a solid name to go on .

Rossi turned to the letters debating whether he wanted to read those also that night. His curiosity won out as he reached for the first one and opened it.

The handwriting of the letter was much different from the book. It was an overly neat cursive with a few stylistic choices made for easier reading; very proper.

He started reading.

_Dear Mom,_   
_You were wrong. You wouldn't have been an unfair mom. I just know I would have loved you. Anyone in my eyes would be better than Mother. You were wrong about giving me to loving parents. Dad left years ago, and Mother hates me. We have never seen eye to eye and it just keeps getting worse._   
_I've definitely been to many places; seen the "world". But none of those places made me happy. I never fit in, no matter how hard I try. No language or etiquette can fix me. My name doesn't fit either. I'm not striving anymore, if I ever even did._   
_You were even wrong about me deserving the world. I don't deserve anything. I screwed up and did a bad thing. I wish I could have been more like you, but I just couldn't. Mother hates me enough already. Matthew is the only one who has ever been there for me._   
_I feel like I took a wrong turn and there's no way back. I'm lost and I really need you. You were right about one thing. A small part of me resents you. I can't help but think my life would be so much happier with you. When I was little I use to dream you had changed your mind and came back for me. Now at sixteen I know that it's just a childish dream. I guess this letter is kind of childish too, but I desperately need something to grasp onto and your book is my anchor._   
_I'm drowning and Matthew can't help me anymore. I need an anchor._   
_Love,_   
_Your Emily_

The letter was a lot and Rossi didn't know what to feel. How could a mother not notice her child was suffering? His heart hurt. He knew he couldn't change the past, but he couldn't help the what ifs that floated through his mind. He was angry at himself for being such an ass all those years ago to drive everyone away from anything more than a one night stand. Maybe if he hadn't things would have been different.

As Rossi picked up the next letter he was almost nervous to read it. He decided to bite the bullet anyhow and opened it. He noticed the handwriting was even neater than before, as he guessed it was written a good bit after the first.

_Dear Mom,_   
_How many times can one make the same mistake before learning their lesson? I screwed up again. I didn't expect this to blow up in my face, but I should have seen it. I got too close. Too close and too naive._   
_I'm lost again and I don't know what to do. I don't have Matthew this time. I don't think I can do what you did either. They would never be safe from my mistakes, but I can't raise a kid. Quoting you, I would be an unfair mother. I can't even take care of myself: I have no personal life, I live for my career which is not suited for the family life, I can't cook, I'm never home, I've killed every plant I have ever owned. How could I subject an innocent child to that?_   
_Children are good things. Reflections of the best part of their parents. I don't deserve good things; I have no good part to reflect. Children need good examples to look up to. I'm too flawed and broken. I can't be a mother. I don't know what I'm doing. I could really use a mom right now._   
_Love,_   
_Your Emily_

Rossi once again had to take a moment to collect himself. Even after what he estimated was years later his daughter had still been lost and unhappy. No child should have to feel like that. Though, for what he had seen, Nora was a really good kid. And he had a feeling in different circumstances a very happy kid too. Emily must have done something right despite her worries. The mention of career concerned him. What had his daughter done that she didn't deem safe for a family?

Rossi reached for the next letter hoping to find a happy ending. Even if he already knew it didn't stay happy.

_Dear Mom,_   
_I can't believe I'm a mom. She's so small and fragile. I'm terrified I'm going to mess this up, but I can't help but feel my heart swell with love for her. I'm going to try my best to give her the world. I'm going to be the mom I always wanted._   
_I named her Elenor. It means light. For once in my life I finally have something that brings light to my life. I'm scarred to death I'll mess this up, but I finally think I found my way back. It's all do to this little light in my life. She deserves the world and I'm going to try my best to give it to her._   
_Love,_   
_Your Emily_

Rossi finally let out a small smile. It seemed Nora had a way of making people see a life they never expected. The last envelope was sealed, the only one that had been, and addressed to Nora. Rossi respected this and placed it back in the book saving it for when Nora was ready.

Realizing it was getting late Rossi returned the book to Nora's room and headed to his own room to turn in for the night.


	9. 9 - Nora's Room Part 1

_Saturday_

Nora spent the next morning playing with her new toys. They were soon scattered throughout different parts of the house, but Rossi wouldn't have it any other way. The real fun of their day, however, did not begin till after lunch.

Nora was playing with her new Barbies at the coffee table in the den while Lion King 2 played in the background. Rossi entered the room looking down at his phone. "Penelope sent me a very detailed list of what we need to get started on your room. First thing on the list is to pick up painting supplies, so put your shoes on and we can head to the hardware store."

Nora hummed, grabbing Simba, before running upstairs to get her shoes. Rossi walked further into the den to turn the tv off and pick up the dolls to put them out of the reach of Mudgie. "Meet me at the door!"

:::::::

"So..." Rossi trailed off, once again looked down at the list on his phone. "Supplies or paint first?"

Nora shrugged as Rossi grabbed a shopping cart. "I guess we could start with the supplies. Penelope said we need plastic tarps, painter's tape, paint sticks, paint trays, and an array of paint brushes. Easy enough, right?"

The tarp was easy, the painter's tape was easy, the paint sticks were easy, the paint trays were easy, but the paint brushes were a monster. Penelope had given him so many different types of brushes to get. Rossi didn't even know there were that many types of brushes. They walked up and down the same aisle at least ten times hunting down the last of the brushes Penelope wanted. Looking at her list it seemed they were redecorating his entire mansion instead of just the one room. He had been slightly weary when she had asked for his credit card information. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like his statement at the end of the month, but it was worth it to see Nora happy. Besides he rarely caused any big dips in his money, and if he was being honest his next book would make up for it.

Next on their list was the paint. A list Penelope had carefully crafted, so he only had to read off the paint codes and sizes. Rossi couldn't figure out why they needed so many different colors for one room, but Penelope had threatened him with cyber harm if he didn't follow her list exactly.

Walking up to the mixing counter Rossi felt bad for the kid who greeted them with an overly cheery smile. They were fixing to ruin that kid's day.

"How may I help you today?"

Rossi let out a nervous chuckle as he pulled out his phone. "You might want a pen and paper."

The cheery smile was wiped off the kid's face as he visualbly gulped.

:::::::

"I think that's it," Rossi announced as he brought the last of the paint to Nora's room. "Now we just have to move all of your stuff out. I was thinking you could stay in the room down the hall until this room is done. Is that okay?"

Nora nodded mindlessly running her hand down the side of her dresser. "Why don't you start taking your books and toys while I go get some tools to take this bed apart."

Nora nodded, happily setting Simba on the dresser, as she grabbed a handful of books to take down the hall. Rossi headed in the opposite direction to the garage to grab his tool box. He was not looking forward to taking apart the bed. He hadn't been present when it was put together, so he heavily doubted his ability in taking it apart.

By the time Rossi found the tools he needed Nora had made great headway in clearing out her toys and books. "Think you can take your clothes next?"

Nora netted her brow in thought, sizing up her closet with her hands on her hip and nodded. "Oui (Yes)."

Rossi chuckled at the look of determination on her face. "Okay, let me know if you need any help."

Rossi started taking the sheets off the bed while Nora started on the closet. He turned when he heard a clattering noise behind him. Nora wasn't quite tall enough to take her clothes off the rack, so she had resulted in using her batton to knock them down. Once they were on the floor she would gather them up and take them to her temporary room. Rossi shrugged. "If it works it works. Just be careful, please."

Once the sheets and comforter were folded and set on the dresser Rossi moved on to the mattress. He quickly realized that moving the mattress from Nora's room to the planned store room downstairs was not going to happen alone. An extra room down the hall would have to work. Rossi barely got the mattress out the door before he had to lean against the wall to rest. Who knew a mattress could be so heavy and hard to move?

Nora paused on her return trip and looked up at Rossi leaned against the wall. "Aider (Help)?"

Rossi looked down. He'd heard Nora use that word before, but he still wasn't quite sure of its meaning yet. He really needed to have Penelope or Erin make him flash cards or something. "Okay?"

Nora turned to the mattress and used all the force in her little body to try and push it. With no luck she turned back to Rossi. He gave her a small smile as he joined her in pushing the mattress down the hall. Moving the mattress wasn't any easier, but watching the look of satisfaction on Nora's face for helping made the task seem lighter.

:::::::

Rossi was sitting on the couch with his feet resting on the coffee table. Moving the furniture out of Nora's room had really took it out of him. Nora was sitting next to him looking through one of the books Reid had given her.

His nap was interrupted by an alert on his phone letting him know someone was at the gate. Peeking at his phone he saw it was Penelope and buzzed her in. He'd have to remember to give her the code later.

Standing with a stretch Rossi made his way to the door to greet Penelope. He was a tad surprised to be greeted by Penelope and company: Morgan, Reid, Will, and Anderson.

Penelope entered the room skipping over pleasenties. "I brought some help. Boss man had something to do, so I brought Anderson in his place."

"Thank you all for coming. I got the room mostly cleared out like you asked. Care to tell me what the plan is?"

Penelope ignored him as Nora ran into the room to greet her. Penelope swooped down to pick her up. "Are you ready for the greatest room makeover ever?"

"Oui (Yes)."

Penelope turned to Rossi. "Derek knows the plan, so he's on lead here while us girls go shopping." She looked down at Nora. "Have everything you need?" Nora held up Simba and Penelope smiled. "Good. You guys have fun."

Rossi shut the door behind her and turned to the four guys. "Where do we start?"

:::::::

"I ordered the big furniture already, so we just need to pick that up then we can get the smaller stuff," Penelope said  
as they entered the store. She turned and handed Elle a piece of paper and the keys to Morgan's truck. "Take this to the front desk then meet us after the truck is loaded."

"Where are we going first?" JJ asked as she followed behind Penelope pushing Henry's stroller.

"I was thinking sheets first, then some seating options for the reading nook, and lastly decor," Penelope replied. "How does that sound, Nora?"

"Bien (Good.)"

Penelope lead them to the kid's sheets. "On their website they had a Lion King set, but you can pick any you want." Nora held up Simba. "Or we can go with Lion King."

Penelope hunted down two different Lion King sheets and held them out for Nora to pick from. She took her time studying her options before pointing to the one on the left. "Are you sure?"

Nora nodded. Penelope threw the chosen set in the shopping cart before placing the other one back on the shelf. "Now we need to get some seating and stuff for your reading nook."

:::::::

"So you have a granddaughter?" Morgan brought up as they were putting the first coat of paint on the wall.

"Yes, not exactly where I saw my life going, but a welcomed path."

"And her parents?" Morgan bravely asked.

"It's kind of a long story that I'm still figuring out. My early years in the BAU are not my proudest," Rossi replied honestly.

Morgan decided to change the subject. "Well, just know if you ever need a babysitter the teams got you covered."

Rossi smiled. "Thank you."

"So what's the plan for this room?" Will asked as he coated his roller in paint.

"Lion King," Morgan replied.

"Nora's kind of obsessed," Rossi added.

"My nephews were really into Toy Story at that age," Anderson said.

"Penelope sent me several reference pictures last night. All I have to say is Nora is one lucky kid," Morgan told looking at Rossi.

:::::::

"We're back and we brought food!" Penelope announced as she set the two liters on the counter.

Elle was behind her and set the stack of pizza boxes on the counter while Nora stood on her tippy toes to set the box of garlic bread next to the pizza. JJ brought up the rear carrying Henry. The guys entered the kitchen moments later looking a little less for wear than when they had left. Will wrapped an arm around JJ's shoulder and kissed her cheek while Reid made a grab for a piece of pizza. Penelope swatted his hand away. "First you guys need to get the stuff out of the truck. The pizza will still be here when you get back."

"Yes, your majesty," Morgan joked.

Rossi stayed in the kitchen. "I think they can handle it without me." He started rummaging through the cabinets to get plates and glasses. "Did you have a fun time, Nora?"

"Oui (Yes)," Nora replied as Penelope picked her up. "Ellie a crié à un homme pour l'avoir regardée (Ellie yelled at a man for looking at her-)"

Penelope lightly covered Nora's mouth causing her to burst out in giggles. "What happened at the store stays at the store."

Rossi raised a brow. "Something I should know about?"

All four ladies shook their heads. It would be there little secret. Rossi didn't need to know that Elle cussed out a man for checking out her ass in front of his five year old granddaughter.

"No," Penelope told him. "Did you guys finish painting?"

"We got all you wanted tonight done according to Morgan," Rossi told her.

"Good," Penelope said. She turned to Nora. "What kind of pizza do you want?"

Nora scrunched her face in thought before shrugging. "How about I cut off a little bit of each on for you to try?" Penelope offered.

Nora nodded. "Oui (Yes)."

"Okay," Penelope said setting Nora down on the stool as she got a knife and plate.

"She's really good with her," JJ mused to Rossi so only they could hear.

Rossi nodded. "She defiantly lives up to her fairy godmother status."

"For sure," JJ said. "Our guest room is full of overflow of stuff she's gotten Henry. I can't imagine having a girl."

Rossi sighed with a smile. "Thankfully I have a lot of guest rooms."

:::::::

"And that is how Derek almost got his butt kicked," Elle ended with a laugh.

They were all sitting in the den enjoying their pizza. They had quickly dissolved in sharing funny stories of their time with the team much to the delight of Nora.

"Remember that time you almost hit Hotch with your rocket?" Penelope asked Reid.

Reid looked down suddenly very interested in his cheese pizza. "You guys should have warned me."

Penelope, JJ, and Elle just laughed. "You did hit me," Elle reminded him.

"It was for science," Reid replied.

Nora looked to Penelope quizzedly. "La roquette (rocket)?"

Penelope grinned. "Reid's a magician."

Nora's eyes grew wide with excitement as she turned to Reid. "I think you're going to have to show her," Rossi pointed out.

Nora nodded excitedly. "La roquette."

"Well... I don't have my rocket with me, but I do have my magic coin," Reid said as he moved to dig through his pockets. "Though I seemed to have misplaced it. I wonder-" He leaned over and reached behind her ear. Both of their faces lit up as he triumphtly held up a quarter. "Found it! I wonder how it got there?"

Nora's smile grew from ear to ear as she clapped. Rossi stood up and started gathering all the empty plates. "Thank you for all your help, but it's getting late."

JJ and Will were the first up. "Yeah, It's someone's bedtime."

"Thanks for your help," Rossi said again.

Elle stood next. "We need to get going too," She said looking at Reid and Anderson who had both ridden with her.

They both got up to follow Elle; Reid lagging behind. "Bye, Nora."

"You ready to go, Baby Girl?" Morgan asked.

"Almost," Penelope replied before turning to Rossi. "Derek and I'll be back in the morning." She then turned to Nora. "I'll be here bright and early tomorrow so we can go on our picnic, okay?"

Nora nodded before giving her a hug. "Au revoir (bye)."

Penelope returned the hug. "Bye, Bug, see you in the morning."


	10. 10 - The Picnic

_Sunday_

True to her word, Penelope and Morgan showed up bright and early at Mansion Rossi the next morning.

"Derek's going to finish painting, and Nora and I should be back around noon," Penelope informed Rossi; not stopping for pleasantries. "Derek's in charge. Call if you need anything."

"This is my-" Rossi didn't get to finish.

"Bye," Penelope said as she pulled a waving Nora out the door.

Rossi turned to Morgan with a look of dumbfoundedness. "Did she just..."

Morgan nodded. "That's Baby Girl for you. We better go get started."

:::::::

Penelope trailed behind Nora allowing her to pick the perfect spot for their picnic.

Nora eventually stopped in an open spot of green, far away from everyone else. "Here?" Penelope asked.

Nora nodded as she rushed to help Penelope spread out the green and white blanket. "What would you like to do first?"

"Parler (Talk)?"Nora asked looking to Penelope for confirmation.

Penelope nodded. "Do you want to go first or me?"

Nora took a moment before pointing to herself. "Ma mère me manque (I miss my mom)."

"Je sais (I know)," Penelope replied with a frown.

"Pourquoi a-t-elle dû s'en aller (Why did she have to go away)?" Nora asked looking up to Penelope.

Penelope placed a comforting hand on Nora's shoulder. "Je ne sais pas, Bug. Parfois, il arrive des choses qui sont hors de notre contrôle (I don't know, Bug. Sometimes, things happen that are just out of our control)."

"Elle a promis que tout irait bien (She promised everything would be okay)," Nora said with a hint of anger. Penelope had never seen Nora angry, but it wasn't unexpected. It was a stage of grief for a reason. " Elle a dit de rester sur place et qu'elle reviendrait, mais il y avait beaucoup de cris et Bunny est venu pour moi à la place (She said to stay put and that she would be back, but there was lots of yelling and Bunny came for me instead)."

Penelope had to take a moment to process what Nora had just told her. She had assumed Nora's mother died from an accident or disease, but what Nora was saying didn't fit with that. It was slightly concerning. "Où étiez-vous (Where were you)?"

"C'est un secret (It's a secret)," Nora replied suddenly finding the grass around them very interesting. Penelope recognized the look of fear for oversharing. "Maman a dit que c'était son plan de sauvegarde. Seuls Bunny et tante Katie le savent (Mom said it was her back up plan. Only Bunny and Aunt Katie know)."

Penelope filed the new information to tell Rossi about later. Who knew if it could become relevant in the future. "D'accord (Okay)."

"Bunny m'a emmené avec Sergio avec lui. Il a dit que maman devait partir très longtemps (Bunny took me and Sergio with him. He said mom had to go away for a very long time)."

That was a new name. "Sergio?"

"Notre minou. Maman a dit qu'il était l'homme parfait (Our kitty. Mom said he was the perfect man)." Nora smiled a little causing Penelope to do the same.

"Qu'est-il arrivé à Sergio (What happened to Sergio)?"

"Bunny a dit qu'il devait rester avec lui (Bunny said he had to stay with him)."

Penelope decided it was a good time to try and learn more about the mysterious Bunny. She knew Rossi would appreciate any information. "La famille Bunny (Is Bunny family)?"

"Oui, Bunny est comme tante Katie. Ils sont la famille de travail de maman (Yes, Bunny is like Aunt Katie. They're Mom's work-family)," Nora said, her mood slightly becoming lighter. Penelope understood that feeling. Talking about her work-family always made her feel better.

"Bunny et tante Katie ont travaillé avec ta maman (Bunny and Aunt Katie worked with your mom)?"

Nora nodded. "Oui, Bunny est le patron. Il a un grand bureau (Yes, Bunny is the boss. He has a big desk)."

"Qu'ont-ils fait (What did they do)?" Penelope didn't know what she expected the answer to be, but what she got was not it. Though she should have expected the answer.

"C'est un secret (It's a secret)." Of course. It seemed like everything was starting to ba a secret. Just what had Nora's mother had her involved in? "Ils sont partis beaucoup. Je suis resté avec l'oncle Chris et Meg (They went away a lot. I stayed with Uncle Chris and Meg)."

Penelope decided to take a different approach. "Et ton père (What about your dad)?"

"Maman a dit que je n'en avais pas besoin. J'ai Bunny et Oncle Chris (Mom said I didn't need one. I have Bunny and Uncle Chris)." Nora glanced around letting a bird catch her attention. She turned back to Penelope. "À ton tour (Your turn)?"

Well, she had at least tried the new approch. "Mes parents se sont séparés quand j'étais vraiment petit. Ma maman a épousé mon beau-père quand j'avais à peu près ton âge. J'ai quatre demi-frères. Trois plus âgés et un plus jeune. Mes parents étaient des hippies. Tu sais ce que ça veut dire (My parents separated when I was really little. My mom married my stepdad when I was about your age. I have four stepbrothers. Three older and one younger. My parents were kind of hippies. Do you know what that means)?"

Nora shook her head. "Non (No)."

"C'est un peu difficile à expliquer, mais ils aimaient beaucoup la nature et détestaient la violence et des choses comme ça. Ils ont vu le bien en chacun. Nous avons l'habitude d'avoir beaucoup de campements dans la cour (It's kind of hard to explain, but they liked nature a lot and hated violence and things like it. They saw the good in everyone. We use to have a lot of backyard campouts)," Penelope explained.

"Maman avait des campements dans le salon (Mom had fort camp outs in the living room)."

"C'est amusant aussi (Those are fun too)." Penelope took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Quand j'étais adolescent, j'aimais tester les règles, et une nuit je suis resté en dehors du couvre-feu. Ils étaient à ma recherche lorsqu'ils étaient dans un accident de voiture (When I was a teenager I liked to test the rules, and one night I stayed out way past curfew. They were out looking for me when they were in a car accident)."

Nora copied Penelope's earlier action as she placed a hand on her shoulder _._ "Ça va, Penny (It's okay, Penny)."

"Merci, Bug (Thanks, Bug.)" She started fiddling with the picnic basket. "Pourquoi ne profitons-nous pas de nos sandwichs et nous pouvons parler plus après (Why don't we enjoy our sandwiches and we can talk more after)?"

"D'accord (Okay.)"

:::::::

"How do you know how to do this?" Rossi asked as he watched Morgan paint.

"I flip houses in my free time," Morgan replied dipping his brush in the paint.

"But to paint a mural?"

"Well, growing up my mom was really into painting, so sometimes I joined her. Penelope has also dragged me to a few of her painting classes," Morgan admitted.

"It's definitely a better job than I could do. Nora's going to love it."

"I hope so," Morgan said dipping his brush again. "How's the furniture coming?"

Rossi looked at the dresser, still in pieces, that surrounded him and the instructions he didn't understand. "I think I'm missing a screw."

Morgan chuckled. "You have no clue do you?"

"Nope," Rossi admitted.

"Let me finish this and I'll help. Just try not to break anything till then."

"I make no promises," Rossi said once again trying to connect the pictures on the instructions to the pieces in front of him.

:::::::

"Que voulez-vous faire ensuite (What would you like to do next)?" Penelope asked packing their containers back into the picnic basket.

Nora shrugged. "Eh bien, il y a un sentier naturel à proximité, nous pourrions marcher si vous le souhaitez (Well, there is a natural trail nearby we could walk if you like)," Penelope suggested.

"Sûre (Sure)."

"Reprenons le panier dans la voiture pour que nous puissions aller dans cette direction (Let's take the basket back to the car then we can head that way)," Penelope said standing up to fold the picnic blanket.

They soon found themselves walking down the trail. Nora had Simba tucked under one arm and held on to Penelope's hand with her free hand. "Je sais que tu aimes les lions et les étoiles, mais qu'est-ce que tu aimes d'autre (I know you like lions and stars, but what else do you like)?"

"Musique, danse (Music, dancing)."

"Tu aimes danser? Tu sais que j'ai fait du ballet quand j'avais ton âge (You like dancing? You know I took ballet when I was your age)."

"Maman allait me laisser prendre des cours après mon anniversaire (Mom was going to let me take classes after my birthday)." Penelope would have to mention that to Rossi. She knew a few good dance studios in the area due to her work with a local theatre group.

"Quand est ton anniversaire (When's your birthday)?"

"21 Avril (April 21st)."

"C'est proche (That's close)." Penelope was already starting to plan a party in her head. "Est-ce que tu aimes l'école (Do you like school)?"

To Penelope's surprise, Nora shook her head. She'd honestly thought Nora would like school. "Non (No)."

"Quelle est ta couleur préférée (What's your favorite color)?"

"Rose (Pink)."

"Fille après mon propre cœur. Quelle est votre chanson préférée (Girl after my own heart. What's your favorite song)?"

"Petite Danseuse (Tiny Dancer)."

"Bon choix. Le mien est Heroes de David Bowie. L'avez-vous déjà entendu (Good choice. Mine is Heroes by David Bowie. Have you ever heard it)?"

Nora shook her head. "Nous devrons l'écouter quand nous reviendrons à la voiture (We'll have to listen to it when we get back to the car)," Penelope told her.

"Connaissez-vous d'autres langues (Do you know any other languages)?"

"Un peu italien. Maman connaissait beaucoup de langues (A little Italian. Mom knew a lot of languages)." Nora frowned as she stopped walking. "Ils se battaient en français (They were fighting in French)."

Penelope paused. "C'est pour ça que tu aimes le français? C'est la dernière chose que tu as entendu ta maman dire (Is that why you like French? It's the last thing you heard your mom say)?"

Nora nodded _._ "Je voulais me souvenir (I wanted to remember)." Her eyes grew cloudy.

Penelope led them to a bench and sat down, pulling Nora into her lap. "Tu sais que ce n'est pas la seule façon de te souvenir de ta maman. Vous avez votre album photo, votre CD, son livre préféré, et vous avez beaucoup de souvenirs. Personne ne peut te priver de cela. Je serai toujours là pour écouter si tu veux parler d'elle et je suis sûr que Rossi adorerait écouter (You know that's not the only way you can remember your mom. You have your photo album, your CD, her favorite book, and you have lots of memories. No one can take that away from you. I'll always be here to listen if you want to talk about her and I'm sure Rossi would love to listen to)."

Nora looked up to Penelope before letting the tears fall. "Ma mère me manque (I miss my mom)."

Penelope ran a soothing hand through her hair. "Je sais, Bug (I know, Bug)."

:::::::

"Did you have a good day?" Rossi asked as he brushed Nora's hair. He was so close to actually being able to put it up in a decent ponytail.

"Oui (Yes)"

"Penelope said we're hopefully finishing your room tomorrow. Are you excited?"

"Oui (Yes)"

Rossi laid the hairbrush down and walked in front of Nora. "We also need to talk about school. Penelope mentioned you don't like school."

Nora shook her head.

"I know you don't like it, but we're going to have to try. Penelope's going to compile a list of schools and we're going to look at them together. I want your feedback so we can make the right choice, okay?"

Nora nodded. "Good. Now, do you want your CD or book."

"La musique (Music)."

Rossi stood up with a smile and walked over to the CD player. "Stared tracks?"

"Mhm," Nora replied with a nod as she crawled under the covers.

Rossi walked back over to the bed tucking her in and kissing her forehead. "Good night, Piccola."

Rossi turned to walk out the door. He was just turning the light off when he heard a tiny whisper. "Night."

He looked over his shoulder with a big smile. "Good night and sweet dreams."

They were making progress.


	11. 11 - Nora's Room Part 2

_Monday_   
_Very Early in the Morning_

Still wrapped up in his robe, Rossi dragged himself to the front door. It was too early. He was beginning to wish he'd just given Penelope a key.

"Good Morning!" Penelope greeted bustling in with her usual amount of energy.

"Did we really have to do this," Rossi glanced over to the large wall clock, "at 4:00 am?"

"I didn't want to risk the team getting called away on a case and the room not being finished. Is she still asleep?" Penelope asked walking further into the foyer.

"Seeing as I should still be asleep, yes," Rossi replied. "Would you like coffee?"

"Please."

Rossi turned to his other guest. "Morgan?"

"For sure."

Rossi turned to the kitchen while Penelope beckoned Morgan upstairs. "Come on."

:::::::

The three FBI agents stood back admiring their handy work. In just under three hours the mostly empty room had been transformed into a top of the line Lion King bedroom. Penelope was shaking with excitement. "How much longer until she wakes up?"

"It depends. We probably still have a little bit. I'm going to start breakfast," Rossi told.

"And I'm going to go get another cup of coffee," Morgan said already heading for the stairs.

Rossi waited for Morgan to reach the stairs before speaking again. "I just wanted to thank you again."

"It's my duty as the fairy godmother of the BAU children," Penelope said with a smile. "And she's the first girl, so she gets just a tad more magic."

"I know," Rossi paused considering his words. "It's just you've gone beyond your duty, and thank you just doesn't seem like enough. You know she told me good night last night, in English."

Penelope's smile grew. "We might have talked about that yesterday."

"You don't know how much this means to me," Rossi admitted. "It's a lot to take in."

"She's a special kid with a pretty cool grandpa," Penelope told him. "You're doing a pretty good job given the circumstances."

"I hope."

:::::::

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Nora made her way down the stairs. "Penny?"

Rossi looked up from his cooking while Morgan and Penelope turned from their spots at the counter where they had been drinking coffee.

"Good Morning, Bug," Penelope greeted.

"Que fais-tu ici? (What are you doing here?)" Nora asked walking further into the kitchen, sleepily laying her head in Penelope's lap.

Penelope brushed Nora's hair out of her face. "We have a surprise."

Nora lifted her head as her eyes grew wide. "Chambre? (Room?)"

"Yes." Penelope stood up and offered her hand to Nora. "Shall we go see?"

Rossi turned the stove off before he and Morgan followed the two girls up the stairs. They stopped in front of Nora's new room. "You ready?" Penelope asked reaching for the door nob.

Nora was bouncing on the tips of her toes as she nodded. Penelope opened the door and quickly looked down to catch Nora's reaction. Nora was quiet as she stepped into the center of the room, spinning around as she took everything in.

The majority of the walls were a soft gray. The ones touching Nora's bed and the wall opposite were varying shades of orange and yellow creating a sunrise apearence. The opposing wall had a mural made of black silhouettes of birds, elephants, giraffes, zebras, with a tree in the center. Above Nora's bed was a similar mural showcasing Mufasa and a young Simba standing on pride rock.

On the bed laid the comforter Nora had picked. It was grey with Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba at the bottom. The sheets were white with a green leaf-pattern. Over her bed was a canvas tent with the flap rolled up. Elle had been the one to point it out at the store, and Penelope couldn't resist.

In one corner of the room there was a bookshelf with several cushions and bean bags tossed around it. Among them was a grown stuffed Simba that was almost as big as Nora. Above the bookshelf was a framed picture of a hot air balloon that had the quote, 'Oh, The Places You'll Go.' In the opposite corner there was a wicker toy box and a new dollhouse Penelope couldn't help but throw in.

The middle of the room was largely taken up by a fuzzy green rug. The dresser was pushed against one wall with a Simba lamp and a CD player sitting on top. Above the dresser was a map of the world. Next to the dresser was a plastic palm leaf tree in a wicker pot. By the door was another wall art piece with lyrics from Elton's John 'Tiny Dancer'.

Before she could get too dizzy, Nora made her way over to the book corner and sat down. She immediately pulled the bigger Simba into her lap, placing little Simba on his back. "Do you like it?" Penelope asked; though, she already knew the answer.

Nora jumped up, knocking her beloved Simba's to the side, and ran to throw her arms around Penelope. "Oui (Yes)."

Morgan smiled as he walked over to the light switch. "There's actually one more surprise."

Penelope took Nora's hand and led her to the middle of the room. "Lay down."

Nora and Penelope both laid down on the green rug. "You should join them, Rossi," Morgan encouraged.

With a little hesitance Rossi took Morgan's advice and laid down next to Nora. With that Morgan switched the light off.

Nora let out an excited squeal as the ceiling lit up with stars in the formation of different constellations. Recovering from her awe she immediately started naming them. "The Big Dipper, The Little Dipper, Orion, Ursa Major..."

Morgan pulled out his phone to video Nora's excitement. He knew Reid would appreciate it seeing as it had been his job to painstakingly layout and put up the stars.

"I think it's safe to say we did a good job," Morgan eventually spoke after Nora had went quiet again.

Nora nodded hugging all of them as they stood up, Morgan included. "Ne jamais partir. (Never leaving.)"

Penelope chuckled. "Breakfast first, then we can come back up here. We need to move your clothes and toys back anyway."

Nora nodded taking off for the kitchen leaving the three adults in a smiling mess. "Thank you guys," Rossi said for the hundredth time.

"No problem, Rossi."

"Like I said my Italian Stallion, it's my duty."

:::::::

Morgan's attention was drawn to his phone just as they were finishing breakfast. "Thank you for breakfast. I hate to eat and run, but we have a case."

Penelope frowned. "Really?"

"Afraid so."

"Well, it was good having you guys," Rossi said gathering their dirty dishes. "Let me know how it goes with the new agent."

"Will do," Morgan replied.

"See you later, Bug," Penelope told Nora giving her a hug.

"Au revoir (Goodbye), Penny."

"Bye, Nora," Morgan said.

"Bye," Nora said with a small smile.

Once they had left Nora and Rossi finished cleaning the kitchen and went upstairs to move the rest of Nora's stuff to her new room.

:::::::

At the BAU the team was gathered at the round table waiting on Hotch and the new agent. "She was so excited. I took a video," Morgan said pulling up the video and handing his phone to Reid.

Reid took the phone and his smile grew as Nora went through the constellations. "She's very knowledgeable in astronomy."

"She's a smart kid," Morgan replied.

"How'd the reveal go this morning?" Hotch asked walking into the room followed by a brunette with short hair.

Penelope grinned. "She loved it. Good call on the big stuffed Simba. She liked that almost as much as the stars."

Hotch flashed them a rare smile before getting to business as he turned to the new agent. "Everyone this is SSA Kate Callahan. Callahan meet SSA Derek Morgan, SSA Elle Greenaway, Dr. Spencer Reid, Media Liaison Jennifer Jareau, and Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia. SSA David Rossi is currently on leave, but he should back at the end of the month."

"Nice to meet all of you," Kate greeted taking the seat next to Reid.

JJ stood to start handing out case files while Penelope pulled up information on the screen. Because of this no one noticed as the new agent glanced down to the video still playing on Morgan's phone still in Reid's hands.

:::::::

Later that day Rossi was checking his emails when he received an alert for his front gate on his phone. He found it mildly alarming as he wasn't expecting anyone and anyone who would show up with out an announcement knew the code. His confusion and concern were further agitated when the preview camera showed only a box and a plastic carrier sitting infront of the gate. Mysterious packages couldn't be good.

Rossi stood up and swiftly made his way to his office. It couldn't hurt to grab his sidearm just in case. Walking to the front door he turned to Mudgie who had followed him. "Watch Nora."

As if he truly understood Mudgie trotted up the stairs towards Nora's room as Rossi opened the door. Walking outside; he locked the door behind him after double-checking he had his key. Rossi cautiously walked up the long drive way to the gate; checking his surroundings as he did. Seeing no apparent danger he put the code in to open the gate.

Sitting in front of the gate was a cardboard box labeled with a black marker 'Video Tapes' and a plastic container that suspiciously looked like a pet carrier.

Rossi's gaze fell to the plastic carrier in question. He definitely wasn't expecting what he found. "Oh, what the hell?!"


	12. 12 - Then There Were Four

Rossi carefully balanced the plastic carrier on top of the cardboard box. He then proceeded to make the trek back to the house, swearing the entire way.

This was definitely an interesting development that he was pretty sure was related to Nora. Before picking anything up he had checked to make sure the cardboard box wasn't dangerous, and true to its label it was filled with videotapes and an envelope he hoped explained the plastic carrier.

When Rossi reentered the house he was greeted by Nora standing in the hall with Mudgie at her heels. He set the boxes on the table. "Don't touch them until I get back, okay?"

Nora nodded. Rossi gave her a smile before heading to his office to resecure his gun.

When he returned he was displeased to see Nora had ignored his instructions and was approaching the cage. Before he could get a word out to stop her she had the cage door open.

Rossi felt his heart stop as he waited for the inevitable screams as the mysterious animal posed an attack. There was a scream, but not the one Rossi expected. "Sergio!"

He immediately looked down to see Nora falling to the floor happily pulling the black cat into her lap. "You know this cat?"

Nora nodded. "Sergio."

"Do you know where he came from?" He probed further.

"Home."

Rossi wanted to ask where home was, but he held his tongue on that issue. "He's yours I assume?"

Nora nodded again maintaining her focus on petting the cat. Mudgie was walking around her suspiciously sniffing their new house guest.

Seeing everything was okay for the moment Rossi opened the box again and pulled out the envelope.

_Dear Agent Rossi,_

_I found these the other day and thought you might like them, or Nora will in the future. They're a mix of home videos and karaoke sessions. She didn't let it show much but E was quite fond of putting on a show. Nora is too, you should sign her up for a dance class._

Oh, the cat is Sergio. E was quite fond of him. _I didn't want to overwhelm you too quickly at the start. I decided now was a better time. He's a pretty good cat. Sticks to himself mostly. E always said he was the perfect man._

Rossi shook his head. Looking at Nora with Sergio made him smile. The cat did seem to make Nora happy, and Mudgie didn't seem too bothered by him. He guessed he would have to add getting cat supplies to his to-do list.

:::::::

It took some convincing, but Nora eventually agreed to leave so they could go get cat supplies. Two hours later they were trudging back into the house. Nora swiftly took Sergio to her room, Mudgie on their heels; meanwhile, leaving Rossi to set up all of the new cat stuff. Between her new room and Sergio, Rossi saw very little of Nora until diner time.

"So," Rossi started as they sat down for dinner later that night. "Penelope sent me a list of schools."

Nora frowned, as she had every other time school had been brought up. and looked down at her plate. "There's five on her list. I've scheduled visits throughout the week. Remember I want your input on which ones you like."

Nora continued to frown as she pushed the food around on her plate. "Penelope also mentioned you were interested in taking dance."

That caught Nora's attention as she looked up. "A friend of her's owns a studio and said we could stop in and you could sit in on a class. See if you like it."

Nora smiled.

:::::::

Rossi tucked Nora into bed later that night. It took way longer than normal as the excitement of her new room and Sergio was still very present. He'd finally managed to get her to bed after three stories and another listing of all the constellations on her ceiling.

With Nora in bed, Rossi went back downstairs and turned his attention to the cardboard box. He carried the box to the den and set it down next to the tv. He grabbed the first video tap he saw and turned it over to read the label **'Nora's First Birthday'**.

Rossi placed the videotape in the player and moved to the couch. He made himself comfortable before hitting play.

_The video opened on Clyde standing against a white wall. A plastic house plant barley in the frame. "I hate this."_

Rossi assumed he was referring to the bright pink birthday hat on his head.

_"It's for Nora," The voice behind the camera reminded him. "Besides everyone else is wearing them."_

_"I'm not everyone else. I'm the bloody-"_

_A brunette with shoulder-length hair stepped into frame rolling her eyes as she cut him off. "It's only for a few hours, Clyde. Chris isn't complaining."_

_"Chris isn't a bada-"_

_"No!" The voice behind the camera cut him off, again. Clyde sighed in frustration due to his inability to finish a sentence. "Em will never forgive us if Nora starts cursing at a year old."_

_The brunette laughed. "Emily and Nora are exactly why you are going to wear that hat." She reached for the camera. "My turn, Tsia."_

_The women switched places._

Rossi remembered the name from the photo album. He wondered if that made the other women Kate. Penelope had told him about Nora's fondness for and Aunt Katie and Uncle Chris.

_"Where is the party girl anyway?" Tsia asked standing next to Clyde. She rested her elbow on his shoulder causing him to let out a tiny huff._

_"Probably getting in trouble with Meg somewhere; though, Chris is supposed to be watching them," The brunette replied._

_"And E's running around making sure everything is perfect," Clyde added matter of factly._

_"Kate!" A third female voice called from somewhere else._

Rossi smiled hearing he was correct.

_"And I'm being summoned," Kate said handing the camera back to Tsia._

_The camera shook for a moment before it was refocused on Clyde. "So, I guess let's get this over with. What's your birthday message to Nora?" Tsia asked._

_"Happy Birthday, Nora," Clyde replied dryly, not ready to give up his stubborn image._

_"That's it?" Tsia asked shocked. "You can't come up with something better than that."_

_"Uhm, Nora you are a little firecracker that managed to wrap me around your little finger despite swearing off personal connections to people as a weakness. But, I'm happy to be your Bunny. Happy 1st Birthday, Little Darling."_

_"Awe, You do have a heart."_

_Clyde shook his head. "You better not tell anyone." He held his hand out for the camera. "Your turn."_

_The scene cut to Tsia standing where Clyde had been previously. "Happy Birthday, Birthday Girl. It's been a treat to watch you grow so much this last year. Here's to more Happy Birthdays in the future._

_The scene cut to a new man with a wiggling toddler in his lap._

Who Rossi assumed were Chris and Meg through the process of elimination.

_"Happy Birthday, Nora. You've defiantly kept us on our toes being Meg's partner in crime. Can you say Happy Birthday, Meg?"_

_"Happy 'Day!"_

_The man smiled. The scene cut to Kate. "Happy Birthday, Nora. It's been so amazing watching you and Meg grow the last year. You were the perfect addition to this wacky family."_

_The scene then cut to Emily._

Rossi gave a sad smile. She looked so happy.

_"Happy Birthday, Nora. You are my light and I love you."_

_The screen faded black for a moment before opening to a small backyard with a few balloons and streamers around._

_Meg was running around with Nora toddling after her as Chris chased both of them. Kate was blowing bubbles which were drawing the girl's interest. Clyde was sitting back in a chair with Emily next to him. Once the girls got close enough they both swooped down to grab them and smother them in hugs and kisses._

_"Who's the best birthday girl?" Clyde asked tickling Nora._

_Nora giggled and clumsily pointed to herself. Clyde smiled. "That's right."_

_The scene faded again before opening to them sitting around a dining room table._

Rossi guessed the camera had been set up on the table or a tripod as everyone he had seen so far was visible.

_Emily had Nora in her lap with a cake sitting in front of them. They were all singing Happy Birthday. "Can you blow out the candle, Nora?"_

_Nora seemed more interested in the people around her then the cake. "Nora, can you blow out the candle? Like the big bad wolf," Emily tried again._

_That seemed to do the trick as Nora gave her best attempt at blowing out the candle. The room erupted in clapping as the flame went out. Nora looked stunned but joined in on the clapping._

_The scene faded to black._

Rossi got up and grabbed the next tape. Its title read **'Livingroom Sessions'**. He put the tape in.

_The scene opened on a modestly decorated living room. It was modern and simplistic yet the random toys and books lying around made it obvious someone did indeed live there. Clyde and Chris were sitting on the couch as someone walked towards Chris with a camera. The camera was handed off and turned around to show Emily, Kate, Meg, and Nora in their pajamas. It was obviously taken a couple of years after the first video._

_"Are you ready for the greatest show ever?" Kate asked._

_Meg and Nora were giggling as they jumped up and down. Emily walked over to the radio and hit play. 'Bust a Move' started playing._

Rossi couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as the girls broke out in song and dance.

_The two men started clapping. "Your turn," Nora said pointing to the couch when they finished._

_Emily grinned. "Yeah, Clyde, your turn."_

Rossi heard a sigh and then rustling.

_"I usually only do this three gins in, but since little darling asked I guess I can make an exception," Clyde said walking in front. "You got a hat , darling?"_

_"A hat?" Emily asked puzzled._

_Kate's face flooded with realization. "Oh, no you are not."_

_"Too late," Clyde said hitting play as 'La Bamba' started to play._

_Emily and Kate moved to the couch while the girls giggled and danced around Clyde._

Rossi had to say he'd heard Clyde sing on Nora's CD so he knew he had to purposely be butchering 'La Bamba' to enlist more laughing.

_Clyde bowed at the end of the song and pointed the water bottle he'd used as a mic to Chris. "Your turn."_

_"I think I'll stick to drums."_

_"Yes, you should definitely stick to drums," Kate replied._

_"Again, Bunny," Nora encouraged._

Rossi didn't know how long he sat and watched. There were at least two hours worth of dancing and singing on the one tape. Eventually, though, he found the video fading away as he found sleep.


	13. 13 - Tour of Schools

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note about the last chapter: So I forgot to say it last chapter, but Clyde singing 'La Bamba' is inspired by an actual video on YouTube of Sebastian Roche singing 'La Bamba' that I highly recommend checking out. Also, the girls dancing to 'Bust a Move' is inspired by a scene from season two of The Client List which can also be found on YouTube.

_Tuesday_

"Are you ready, Nora?" Rossi asked as he walked up to her bedroom door the next morning. Nora was trying to drag out her morning routine. He suspected it was her way of avoiding their first school visit.

Rossi took a sip of his coffee from his travel mug. Sleeping on the couch had not been a smart decision. He was halfway through his coffee, a refill was definitely in order before they left, when Nora finally emerged from her room with a sullen expression. "We're just looking. It's not like we're touring prisons," He tried to joke.

Nora didn't appreciate it and instead walked past him without a second look.

"Want to tell me why you don't like school?" Rossi asked as he followed behind her.

Nora's frown deepened, but she didn't say anything. Rossi just couldn't wrap his head around how a kindergartener could hate school so much. He hoped it was just a reaction to the change and that she would adjust.

:::::::

"Welcome to Hillside Primary!"

Rossi swore that if Nora had been older, she would have rolled her eyes at the overly happy principal showing them around.

"David Rossi, nice to meet you." Rossi shook the principal's hand. "And this is Nora."

"Steven Burke. I've been the principal here for five years. You would be enrolling in kindergarten, correct?"

"Uhm, yes."

"Why the change in schools so late in the year?" Steven asked as he led them down the brightly colored halls. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Nora recently came to stay with me," Rossi replied.

"And her old school?"

Rossi looked down at Nora. He honestly had no clue. "Uhm, I'm not sure."

"Okay." They turned down a hall. "This is our kindergarten hall. We currently have ten classrooms averaging about 20 kids. Would you like to go in and observe?"

"If you don't mind."

"Of course," Steven said as he knocked on a door before entering.

Nora instantly hid behind Rossi as they shuffled in. The teacher, at the front of the room, paused her lesson on colors to address them with the same chipperness as the principal had, "Hello, I'm Mrs. Fielder."

"David Rossi," He introduced as he shook her hand. "This is Nora."

"Nice to meet you, Nora."

Nora burrowed further behind Rossi. "She's a little shy."

"We are just here to observe, so you may return to your lesson," Steven told her.

And she did as they watched for a few minutes before returning to the hall. Their tour continued as they were led through the different buildings. They were overall nice facilities with a decent-sized library. The library was the only thing that had intrigued Nora. Rossi had to admit everything was a little on the too-bright side.

After the tour, the principal walked them back to the front entrance. "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Rossi and Nora."

"Thank you for showing us around," Rossi replied before they left.

Once back in the car, he turned to Nora. "What do you think?"

Nora shook her head as she picked up Simba, who'd been left in the car during the tour, and cuddled him to her chest.

"You liked the library, though?"

Nora gave a hesitant nod.

"Not enough to make you like it?" Rossi asked, already knowing the answer. Maybe Penelope should have come with them. She had a way of finding the bright side of everything, and Nora was more open with her.

As he had expected, she shook her head no and putting an end to that. Rossi just hoped she liked at least one of the schools on their list.

:::::::

"So the next school on the list is Admiral Adams Primary," Rossi said as they pulled into the parking lot. "It's a public school like Hillside. It's a little further from the house, but Penelope said they have noteworthy teaching and high scores."

Nora frowned, and Rossi had to admit he did too seeing the building. He'd been to a lot of prisons in his line of work, and the fact that's where his mind went upon seeing the building didn't sit well with him. He had a sickening feeling about why their scores were so high.

"Welcome to Admiral Adams Primary. I'm Principal Meadows," The stern woman greeted as they entered through the heavy double doors and into a grey hall.

Rossi thought Erin could look strict on a good day, but she seemed like a ball of sunshine compared to Principal Meadows. "David Rossi."

"Mr. Rossi," She repeated as she gave him a firm handshake before leading them down the continuously grey brick hall. "Here at Admiral Adams Primary, we serve grades k-4 through 2nd grade. We stand for discipline and excellence. Our students truly excel here."

Unlike the other school, the halls lacked color and artwork. The grey brick was paired with an off white linoleum. Rossi immediately crossed this one off their list. He didn't care how good their test scores were, but he didn't want to be rude, so the tour continued.

The kindergarten classroom they entered was also void of color. Students sat in rows of desks with all their little hands perfectly folded on top. Rossi could see the boredom in the children's eyes as the teacher taught math. Nora once again held tightly, if not even more so, to his pants leg as she hid behind him. Once they finished the tour, he politely gave his closing remarks before getting out of there as quickly as possible.

:::::::

"Our last tour for today is St. Francis," Rossi informed Nora as they pulled into their last school after a mostly silent lunch.

He wasn't quite sure how he felt about the school's addition to the list. Yes, he was Catholic and had attended a Catholic school himself way back in the day. However, he was unsure of his daughter's stance and how she would feel about the choice. Penelope had informed him that St. Francis was one of the top schools in the area (and not a prison), so he decided to at least give it a chance.

"Have you ever been to church?" Rossi asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

Nora nodded.

"Who'd you go with?" He prodded further.

"Aunt Katie and Uncle Chris," Nora whispered.

"Anyone else?"

"Meg," She replied even quieter.

Rossi cataloged that information for later. If she hadn't gone to church with her mother, it probably meant her mother hadn't been religious.

"Did you like it?"

Nora shrugged as she played with Simba in her lap.

"St. Francis is like a church and school put together," He explained.

That seemed to catch Nora's attention. "Pretty windows?"

"Yes." Rossi smiled. "Most chapels have large stained glass windows."

Once they entered the school, they were met by an older man. "Father Carver," Rossi greeted as he shook his hand.

"Agent Rossi," He replied. "This must be Eleanor."

Nora was too busy eyeing the building around them to acknowledge him. "Yes, sir," Rossi spoke for her.

"Well, I would like to welcome you to St. Francis," Father Carver said as he led them further into the building.

It was a step up from the last school. The kids didn't look bored to death, and it wasn't a grey void. Overall not too bad; however, Rossi kept coming back to the fact Nora probably hadn't been raised Catholic. He didn't know how he felt about sending her to a Catholic school if that was the case. A new school was going to be hard enough. He didn't want to add a new religion on top of that, even if it wasn't a bad school.

:::::::

_Wednesday_

"We have two private schools today," Rossi informed Nora in the car the next morning. Similar to the day before she had dragged out their morning routine. "The first one is Carmichael Prep for Girls."

Rossi caught the mild look of disgust in Nora's eyes at the name. Unlike the others, Penelope hadn't given him a whole lot to go on. Her reasoning in including it was to cover all their basis. It couldn't be worse than the prison masquerading as a school.

"And after lunch, we have General Dean Academy," Rossi added.

Rossi had the most hope for that one. Though, that mostly stemmed from the fact the rest hadn't seemed the right fit. He also knew a lot of bureau parents sent their kids there, according to Penelope.

"Miss Warren," Rossi greeted the middle-aged women.

"Mr. Rossi," She replied as she shook his hand.

"This is Nora," Rossi introduced.

:::::::

"No?" Rossi asked once they were back in the car.

Nora shook her head as she pulled Simba tightly to her chest. Rossi sighed. The word 'Prep' made a whole lot of sense after the tour. The word factory would have also worked as the school seemed to be creating young women to be perfect, identical members of society. Maybe it worked for some people, but it wasn't a good fit for them.

"Lunch is on me after that," Rossi said as he tried to lighten the mood. "We can go anywhere you want?"

"IHOP," Nora mumbled from behind Simba.

"IHOP it is then," Rossi replied as he pulled out of the parking lot.

:::::::

General Dean Academy was a Private School that serviced grades k3-12th grades. The school sat on a large property encased by an iron fence with a welcoming arch and gate. The majority of the buildings were a warm brick with beige accents. There was the main building comprised of offices and other business-related rooms. The grades were divided into five buildings: Preschool (k3-k4), Primary (kindergarten-2nd), Elementary (3rd-5th), Middle School (6th-8th), and High School (9th-12th). The different schools had their own facilities; however, they did share a few extracurricular buildings: for example, k3-5th grades shared a fine arts hall comprised of art and music-related classrooms.

"Good afternoon, welcome to General Dean Academy. I'm Dr. Albright we spoke on the phone," A greying man in his early 60's greeted them.

Rossi shook the man's hand. "Yes, I'm David Rossi, and this is my granddaughter, Nora."

Dr. Albright bent down. "Nice to meet you, Nora. Who's your friend?"

"Simba," Nora whispered.

Rossi had been making Nora leave Simba in the car for the other tours, but she had refused to give him up after the morning's tour.

"Well, nice to meet you, Simba." Dr. Albright stood up. "Shall we start with our kindergarten classrooms?"

"That would be good."

Immediately Rossi had to say this hall was his favorite compared to the other schools. It wasn't a prison, and it wasn't bright enough to hurt his eyes. It was warm and inviting, displaying various children's artwork. They entered a classroom where a teacher was reading to her class as they sat on a circular rug. The woman stood up once she finished reading. "Okay, class, go to your seats, and you may whisper until I give further instructions." She then approached her guests. "Hello, I'm Mrs. Baker."

"David Rossi and my granddaughter, Nora."

"Nice to meet you, Nora."

Nora's only response was to hide further behind Rossi. "She's a little shy."

"That's okay."

"This would be Nora's class if you choose to enroll her here," Dr. Albright informed him.

The teacher returned to her class as they stood back and observed for a few moments before exiting. Dr. Albert then led them on a tour of the rest of the Primary building. He even let them peek in on a 1st-grade classroom. After all, Nora's time in kindergarten would hopefully end in a few months, and more of her time would be spent in the other grades. Rossi liked to see that the appropriate amount of color and fun extended to the first grade rooms and didn't end just because the kids were in 'real' school.

Despite hiding during the kindergarten room peak, Nora came out from behind Rossi during that of the first grade one after spotting a model solar system on a bookshelf.

"Do we a young space enthusiast?" The 1st-grade teacher asked approaching them while the class silently worked on a worksheet.

Nora glanced at Rossi before giving a hesitant nod. The teacher gave her a warm smile before pointing to all the planets and giving random facts about each one.

"We have several space clubs throughout the grades. The first one is usually reserved for 2nd and up, but we could make an exception for Nora next year," Dr. Albright told Rossi in a hushed tone.

"Nora would probably love that. We put constellations up in her room, and she loves looking at them," Rossi informed him as he smiled at the fact.

"Our second graders take a trip to a space museum every year, and it's always a hit, but don't let that sway you."

Rossi remained smiling despite the alarm that went off in his head. So, far everything with Nora was getting to the next day, the next week at most. It hadn't fully hit him until that moment that this was forever. He was going to get to see Nora go from the shy kindergartener to a curios middle schooler to a hopefully not too rebellious high schooler. And even though Nora had only been in his life for two weeks, he wouldn't take anything for the chance to see those milestones.

They left the first-grade room with a slightly less timid Nora as they moved on to some of the shared buildings. Nora had liked the music rooms and almost bounced out of her shoes at the not one, but two impressive libraries. The first was for grades 5th and under, but knowing that Nora liked books, Dr. Albright had shown them the upper schools' library as well.

Though the icing on the cake for Nora, and in turn Rossi, was when they walked into the auditorium. Dr. Albright had explained the several events held in the auditorium; meanwhile, Nora was too busy looking around and resisting the urge to walk around. This only confirmed to Rossi that this was the school they'd be going with.

:::::::

"Once a week all students have a two-hour block to participate in an extra activity of their choice. We find it helps students be more enthusiastic in school when they have some choice in things they study. It also encourages them to try new things. Some students use this time block for additional instruction time and more focussed learning. Nora would start in one of these blocks to catch her up in our curriculum, but she would then have her choice of a multitude of programs. For kindergarten, we have an art block, a music block, a library block, an additional P.E. block, a beginning theatre block, and several language blocks. As she gets older, her options would only grow. We have over thirty options for our high schoolers to pick from. Students can choose to change their blocks after Christmas if they wish," Dr. Albright explained as they walked back towards the main building.

Rossi glanced down to see a ghost of a smile on Nora's face.

"I heard you have an after school program?"

Dr. Albright smiled at the mention at one of his favorite aspects of their school. "Yes. About 80% of our students come from government workers and law enforcement. So we try to do our part to help by having an after school program that runs to six o'clock to try and accommodate as many work schedules as possible. We also offer a multitude of extracurriculars for our older students."

 _It was the perfect school_ , Rossi thought. "This has been a very nice tour," He said as they entered the main building.

"I want you to meet one more person," Dr. Albright said as he turned down a hallway and knocking on a door.

"Come in," A female voice replied.

The door opened to a homey office. The woman sitting at the desk stood up as she stuck her hand out. "You must be Agent Rossi?"

Rossi shook her hand. "Yes."

"Dr. Tara Lewis. I'm one of the counselors here."

"She also helps teach French and German at the high school. As I'm sure you know, we have the most extensive language program in the area," Dr. Albright added.

"Yes, I had heard that."

"I know you mentioned that Nora currently uses French more than English. I want you to know that Dr. Lewis will be available to help translate and make the transition easier," Dr. Albright explained.

"I only teach a couple of classes at the high school, so I'm available the majority of the day. Nora is welcome at any time. Her teacher is aware and will work with us on making Nora as comfortable as possible," Tara explained.

Rossi smiled. "I think it's safe to say we will be enrolling here. Right, Nora?"

Nora gave a small nod. "Why don't we step out to reception and set up a time for you to fill out all the paperwork. Also, allow Nora to get to know Dr. Lewis. And may I just say Welcome to General Dean Academy."

"That sounds good." Rossi bent down to Nora's level. "I'm going to go talk with Dr. Albright for a few minutes, but if you want, you can stay here and talk to Dr. Lewis. She's way better at French than I am, so you'll be able to have a full conversation. I'm sure she'd like to hear about your stars."

"I would love to talk about stars with you," Tara said proving his point.

"Okay," Nora replied as she held Simba just a little tighter to her chest.

Rossi gave her a reassuring smile before he followed Dr. Albright leaving Nora and Tara in a softly spoken conversation in French.

:::::::

 _"So how did it go?"_ Penelope asked later that night over the phone.

"Okay," Rossi replied as she poured himself a glass of wine.

 _"Did she like any of them? Have you decided yet?"_ Penelope asked back to back, not even giving him a chance to process the first question.

"We are going with General Dean. The staff and faculty were very nice. They seemed very understanding about everything and very willing to help make the transition as easy as possible. Plus, Nora likes it."

 _"I knew you'd like that one."_ Rossi wondered why Penelope just didn't send them there instead of having to visit all the other schools too. " _When does she start?"_ He could hear the excitement in her voice.

"Well, I have to fill out the paperwork and all that. So I would guess sometime next week or the week after Spring Break at the latest." Rossi already knew he was going to have to call Clyde. There was no way the school would take Nora's paperwork with all the blanks he had left.

_"Are you going to come back to work then?"_

That was a million-dollar question. "Well, I took a month, and I think I'm going to finish my month. Get Nora adjusted to school and figure out what I'm going to do with her when I'm away on cases."

Penelope barely let him finish the sentence. _"I could watch her while you're away. She has school during the day, and I know General Dean has an after school program. If I have to work later than that she can come to the office. I got enough toys and trinkets to keep her entertained."_

Rossi thought about it for a moment. It was better than hiring a stranger Nora probably wouldn't like. "Are you sure?"

_"Most definitely. Remember fairy godmother and all. Plus, Nora is the best, so why would I not want to spend more time with her."_

"Okay," Rossi agreed. "We'll work out the details when it comes time for it."

 _"Okay, but trust me, I don't mind,"_ Penelope repeated. _"I'll talk to you later and tell Bug I said 'hi'."_

"I will. Talk to you later," Rossi said before hanging up.


	14. 14 - The Phone Call

_Thursday_

As promised, Rossi was taking Nora to the dance studio Penelope had recommended. She'd been bouncing off the walls since early that morning. Unlike the previous mornings, when it had been a struggle just to get her out of her room. He had to keep reminding her they were only checking it out, and she wasn't actually taking a class that same day. However, he was sure visit or no visit, he would be signing her up for classes. Rossi was just happy to see her so excited about something. This was especially true since it was something outside the walls of his house and did not include Penelope.

"Go now?" Nora asked, peeking her head into the office where he was working on the last of the files he'd gotten from the office.

Rossi shook his head. "It hasn't been time to go the last hundred times you asked." He'd stopped counting after the fourth; though, he had to admit Nora's impatience was kind of adorable.

Nora flopped down in the chair next to his door. "When?"

Rossi pointed to the large clock on the wall. "When the shorthand is between ten and eleven, and the long hand is on six. Then it will be time to go."

Nora crossed her arms with a huff. Most parents, or grandparents, would have probably corrected a display of pouting. Rossi was just too relieved to see that Nora was finally showing normal child behavior to say anything; this time at least. Besides, he knew she was just excited. At that age, he'd probably acted the same towards baseball or a cooking lesson with his Nonna.

"I am almost done with this file. After I finish, how about we draw for a bit until it's time to go."

Nora took a moment to think about it. "Okay."

Rossi smiled. "Good deal."

:::::::

Drawing somehow turned into an impromptu Italian lesson that had started after a mix up of words. Rossi was delighted to share his knowledge as Nora pointed to everything in sight she didn't know the words for already. The Italian lesson, however, caused a brick of realization to hit Rossi in the face. He'd completely forgotten to call his mother to inform her of the newest addition to his life.

Even in her late 80's Adelaide Rossi would have no trouble tearing into him for his inability to call and let her know she had another great-granddaughter. He also had to inform his lovely, overbearing sisters. He knew the moment he told Silvia and Maria they would demand he make a visit to New York. He didn't know if he, let alone Nora, could handle the Rossi family.

There were seven kids between his sisters and near twenty grandchildren. They could be a lot, but Rossi added calling his mother to his ever-growing to-do list. He'd let her inform his sisters, and he guessed they could take a couple of days during Nora's Spring Break at the end of the month to visit New York; if Nora was up for it. "Have you ever been to New York?" he asked.

Nora shook her head. "Why?" Rossi had interrupted their lesson.

"My family lives in New York. Once I tell them about you, they're going to want to meet you."

Nora's face scrunched up, still not understanding. "Why?"

"Because you're family. And family is of most importance to my mother and sisters. You'll get to meet a lot of your cousins if you want," Rossi added. "A couple are around your age." He could see Nora was still unsure. "But we don't have to worry about that now. It's almost time to go, so let's clean this up."

Nora's smile returned, remembering their plans for after they cleaned up. "Though if it's any comfort, my mother will want to teach you more Italian and give you cooking lessons."

Nora's smile remained, so Rossi took that as a good sign.

:::::::

Penelope had pulled some strings to have their studio tour between classes, which Rossi was thankful for. He knew Nora would get the most out of the visit without a bunch of people being around.

They were greeted by a slender man that reminded him of a more coordinated Reid. "Hi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Tyler."

"Dave," Rossi offered, shaking Tyler's outstretched hand.

"I'm Nora." Rossi looked down, surprised. He had barely heard it, but it was progress.

Tyler smiled. "My friend Penny said you really like dancing."

Nora nodded, loosening her grip on Rossi's pants leg. "Yeah"

"Well, then let's get on to the tour." Tyler took a few steps then gestured to the space around them. "This is reception. Usually, June is at the desk, but it's her lunch break right now."

They then walked down the hall, passing a couple of rooms with instructors preparing for their next classes. Nora smiled the entire time as her eyes got wider. Tyler paused at an empty classroom before stepping in. "This the room we use for our younger groups."

Nora was buzzing with excitement and looking around at everything. "It's okay," Rossi reassured her with a pat on the back.

"Go ahead," Tyler encouraged. Nora took a few hesitant steps towards the mirrors and was quickly entranced by all the new wonders of the room. Tyler followed behind her and offered her a smile. "I'm going to do a few warm-ups, and I want you to copy me. It's okay if they're not perfect. I just want you to try your best."

Rossi watched the duo making sure to get lots of pictures and videos for Penelope. Eventually, Tyler pulled out a few colored scarves that made Nora jump up and down. "Are you good to continue playing with these while I talk to your grandpa?"

Nora gave a quick nod before grabbing a light blue scarf and twirling around. Rossi softly chuckled as Tyler joined him in the corner. "I think you have a new student."

Tyler smiled. "She's a good one. I mean, most kids her age are excitable, but I think Nora really has a passion for it from what little I've seen and what Penny has told me about her shyness. She would start out in one of our beginner classes, which meets once a week on Saturday. But we do have an advanced group of 5-6 years old that meet for about 30 minutes longer than the beginner classes. Though they have plenty of breaks and other activities to keep them engaged. I don't see any problem with her being able to move up to the advanced group in a few months if she wanted to, of course."

"That sounds good. Just whenever you think Nora is ready to move up. I'm sure she'll be more than interested. This is the most excited she's been for anything."

"Okay." A woman passed by the door. "Hey," Tyler called her attention. "Hope, can you watch our newest student for a bit while we go fill out some paperwork."

"Sure," the young blonde replied, walking into the room.

"Thanks"

Rossi followed Tyler out of the room. Nora was so involved in her task, she didn't even notice his absence.

:::::::

After leaving the successful studio visit Rossi and Nora headed to the office.

"Penny?" Nora looked up to Rossi with a gleam of excitement.

Rossi bent down to stick Nora's visitor's sticker to her shirt. "Maybe. She might be busy."

Nora frowned. "Per favore (Please)."

"We'll see," Rossi reinforced as he led Nora to the elevator. "She might be helping the team on a case."

Nora sighed. Rossi just shook his head with a small smile as he pressed number 6 on the elevator. The bullpen was relatively quiet with the team on a case. "Let's go see if Penelope's busy, then I need to drop these files off to Hotch's office."

That seemed to satisfy Nora as she led the way. She'd remembered the way to her favorite person's office from her first visit.

Rossi allowed Nora to knock, but had to open the door as she couldn't contain her excitement at the "come in."

"Penny!" Nora yelled, making it to Penelope just as she swirled around in her chair.

Penelope pulled her into a hug. "Bug, it's good to see you again."

"We were wondering if you were busy," Rossi said from his position still close to the door.

"No, the team is on their way back, and I was just fixing to go on lunch." She looked down at Nora. "And I could use some company. If that's okay with you, Rossi?"

Nora's eyes lit up as she turned to Rossi. "Per favore (Please)."

It would be beneficial, Rossi thought. He did need to make a call to Clyde, and he had an appointment to sign Nora up for school that afternoon. He could probably get them both done quicker, plus having lunch with Penelope would make Nora happy. "If you're sure."

"Of course," Penelope replied.

"Okay, then." Nora ran to give Rossi a hug. "I'll pick her up like last time?"

"Sounds good," Penelope said, turning around to turn her monitors off.

:::::::

Penelope and Nora were waiting in the elevator when another face joined them.

Penelope gave the newcomer a polite smile. "Section Chief Strauss."

"Technical Analyst Garcia," Erin replied with the same polite smile. Her smile became informal when she noticed Penelope's companion. "And Nora, it's nice to see you again."

"Bonjour (Hello)," Nora greeted.

"How are you today?" Erin asked.

"Good," Nora replied.

Erin looked back up to Penelope. "Where's David?"

"He, uhm, had some errands to run, so Nora and I are going to lunch," Penelope replied.

Nora tugged on Penelope's hand until she bent down. She then whispered in her ear. Penelope stood back up with a small smile. "Are you sure?"

Nora nodded. Penelope turned to Erin. "Nora wants to know if you would like to join us for lunch?"

Erin looked shocked, and it took her a few moments to find her words. "I wouldn't want to intrude."

"S'il vous plaît (Please)." Nora requested.

"It wouldn't be an intrusion."

"If you're sure." Penelope and Nora both nodded. "Okay, then."

:::::::

Nora smiled as they entered the cafe. She gently tugged Erin towards the same table as before while Penelope followed behind them. Nora waited at the table long enough for Erin to take a seat before running off to the book corner. "Where is she going?"

Penelope took a seat across from Erin. "They have a lot of kids books. She especially likes one's on stars and space. A brought her here last week, and she fell in love."

Erin looked around. "I can see the appeal."

Penelope nodded in agreement. "Rossi is pretty sure she's from England. Her caretaker was, anyway, and she does really like this place."

Nora ran back to the table with a book and claimed into the seat next to Penelope. "What did you pick out?" Erin asked.

Nora held up a book on lions. "What do you want to eat?" Penelope asked, noticing a waiter walking in their direction.

"Same," Nora replied before turning her full attention to her book.

"Okay," Penelope said just as the waiter reached them.

"What can I get you?" Penelope ordered the same thing she and Nora had gotten the last time. "And you ma'am?"

"I'll have what she's having," Erin replied, handing the waiter her menu.

The waiter wrote down the order and left them with a smile. "How did your school tours go?" Penelope directed to Nora. "I heard you picked one out."

Nora nodded but didn't look up from the book. "Books."

"Yes, they do have a large library."

"What school did you pick?" Erin asked.

At Nora's silence, Penelope answered for her. "General Dean Academy. It was the only one Rossi and Nora both liked. Plus, Rossi just felt like it was a good fit."

Erin gave a rare smile. "All three of my children attend General Dean Academy. They love it."

This statement caused Nora to look up. "Really?"

Erin nodded. "Yes, Alysa is in 10th grade, Noah is in 8th grade, and Vivian is in 7th grade. They love the school and are very involved. Alysa plays on the volleyball team and takes all the advanced classes they offer. Noah is on the baseball team. And Vivian does pretty much everything in the music department. She is actually trying to get them to introduce show choirs to the middle school and elementary school students."

Nora's eyes lit up. "Dance?"

Erin nodded. "Vivie loves anything music-related."

Penelope turned to Nora. "Rossi told me he signed you up for dance classes this morning."

Nora nodded eagerly. "Yeah."

"That's exciting. Vivie was about your age when she started," Erin told her.

"We can get your dance stuff Saturday while we're shopping for school supplies. Your first class is that afternoon, right?" Penelope asked. Nora nodded just as their food arrived. "Okay. Go put your book away so we can eat."

:::::::

Opening the door, Rossi was greeted by Nora and Penelope, laying on her office floor, coloring. "Well, I guess it's safe to say you guys had fun."

Penelope nodded as Nora jumped up to hug Rossi. "We had lunch with Strauss." Rossi didn't hide his shock. "Her kids go to General Dean, and she was telling Nora all about the fun things she'll get to do there."

Rossi smiled, maybe, that would help ease Nora's dislike of the idea of school. "That does sound like a fun lunch. Why don't you clean up you're crayons, and we can go home and take Mudgie for a walk."

Nora nodded and started cleaning up her mess. Penelope stood up and met Rossi near the door. "How'd it go?"

Rossi pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. "Good. Here are her school supply list and uniform information."

Penelope took it with a smile. "Is Saturday still good to go shopping? I was talking to Strauss, and she said on the chance of the team being on a case that Kevin Lynch could take over for the day."

"Saturday is fine. You know I'm going to need all the help I can get."

Penelope smiled. "I'll be there."

"Oh, also, will you let the team know if they're not doing anything tomorrow, I'm inviting them to dinner, the new agent too."

"Okay." Nora finished cleaning, hugged her. "Bye, Nora."

"Bye, Penny," Nora said, taking Rossi's hand.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Rossi told Penelope before allowing Nora to lead the way out.

:::::::

Later that night, as Rossi was tucking Nora in, she asked a question he wasn't expecting. "Meet Vivie?"

Rossi was confused. "Vivie?" As he asked, Rossi suddenly remembered; Vivian, the youngest of the Strauss children.

Nora nodded. "Music and dance."

Thinking back, Rossi vaguely remembered seeing a couple of pictures of Vivian in Erin's office. If he remembered correctly, a few had featured her in a dance costume or playing an instrument. "I'll ask Erin if Vivian can come over, okay."

Nora smiled. "Night."

Rossi kisses her forehead. "Goodnight."

Rossi left the door cracked as he headed back downstairs. After a small debate with himself, he sent a quick text to Erin about maybe her and the kids joining them for dinner the next night. He was happy to see a simple 'okay' flash up on the screen.

Rossi then made himself comfortable in the den and sighed as he scrolled through his contacts and found the one he was looking for. On second guess, he could just send a picture and say surprise before immediately turning his phone off and getting a new number. No, he could do this. Before he chickened out, he hit the dial button.

"David, what happened? Because I know you wouldn't be calling your poor old mother otherwise," Adelaide answered.

Rossi sighed. "Well, there's someone new in my life, I wanted to tell you about."

Adelaide didn't even let him continue. "A fourth Mrs. Rossi? I'm sure she's as lovely as the other three. Have you tied the knot yet? Or did you actually call to inform your mother before the wedding this time?"

This was the exact reason why Rossi didn't call talk to his family. "No, Mama. I'm not seeing anyone. I actually called to tell you you have another great-granddaughter."

There was a moment of silence before a whisper. "Great-granddaughter?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I wasn't aware I had a grandchild."

Rossi sighed. "Well..."

And Rossi caught her up to speed. He didn't think his mother had ever let someone talk so long without interrupting.

"What did you say her name is? And how old is she?"

"Eleanor, but she goes by Nora, and she's five, almost six."

"Well, thank the heavens, my baby boy finally settled down with a family. Took you long enough. When are you going to bring her to meet the family?"

"I was thinking for a couple of days at the end of the month, but she's shy. I don't want you guys scaring her. Sylvia and Maria can be a bit much, and all the kids-"

"We're family. She'll love us."

"Mama, I don't-"

"Hush now. It'll be fine. Now I gotta go call your sisters. Love you."

"Love you too," Rossi replied before being met with a click.

Well, it had gone better than expected. Now Rossi had just a little over a week to plan a trip to New York; easy peasy.


	15. 15 - Friday Dinner

_Friday_

"Nora, can you clean up your toys in7 the den. Our guest should be here soon," Rossi called from the kitchen, barely getting the words out before the doorbell rang.

Rossi wiped his hands off on a towel before heading to the door. He glanced at the clock on his way; 5 o'clock was a little early for the team. "Erin," He greeted, a little surprised. His eyes then scanned over the three children standing next to her. It had been many years since he had seen the Strauss children. It had been so long he barely recognized AJ and Vivian, but Alysa still had the same blonde curly hair and 'take on the world' look in her eyes. "Alysa, AJ, and Vivian, right?"

"Actually-" Erin didn't get to finish.

"I, uhm, I prefer Noah, sir," The young boy said, looking down his brown, shaggy hair shielded his eyes.

"Noah," Rossi repeated. "Thank you for joining us for dinner. I hope you like lasagna."

"Yes, sir," Noah replied as his younger sister smiled while Alysa continued to stand stoic.

Rossi felt a small tug on his pants as Nora joined them in the foyer. Her excitement slightly diminished now that the new people were standing in front of her. "This is my granddaughter, Nora. She starts at General Dean Monday. She also has her first dance class tomorrow."

Vivian smiled at the mention of dance. "I can teach you some basics."

Nora nodded, letting go of Rossi's leg. "Why don't you go in the den," He suggested.

The two girls quickly left, leaving the rest of them still in the foyer. That's when Mudgie made his way into the room, catching Noah's attention. "You have a dog!"

"Yes." Rossi patted the lab's back. "This is Mudgie."

"Can I play with him?" Noah asked, meeting Rossi's eyes for the first time.

"Of course. If it's okay with your mom, you can take him out back and play with him."

Noah turned around to look up at Erin. "May I?"

"You may."

Noah grinned. "Just go down that hall, and there should be a tennis ball on the patio," Rossi informed him.

Noah and Mudgie both took off down the hall, not hearing Erin telling them not to run. "Sorry."

Rossi shook his head. "It's fine. Nora runs through the house all the time."

"Still," Erin insisted.

Alysa took the opportunity to speak, fidgeting with the strap of her backpack. "Do you maybe have somewhere I could work on some homework, sir?"

Rossi almost wanted to laugh at the number of times he's been called sir in the last five minutes. Instead, he settled for a kind smile. "You're welcome to use my office. Just go down the hall, and it's the door under the stairs."

Alysa nods. "Thank you, sir."

Rossi waits for her to leave before turning to Erin. "Care to join me in the kitchen?"

"Sure."

:::::::

"Hey," Rossi greeted, letting Penelope and Morgan into the foyer. Elle and Reid were already inside, having arrived a few minutes earlier. "Is this it?"

Penelope nodded. "Bossman and JJ wanted to spend time with their families, and the new girl said she couldn't come. I don't like her."

Morgan shook his head. "You don't even know her."

"But she barely let me ask before saying no and-"

"Baby girl, give her time," Morgan told her.

"How is she really?" Rossi asked.

"Fine, keeps to herself. She already earned her first scar, but it was a good takedown. Not your usual desk agent," Morgan explained.

"Yeah," Rossi said. "Hotch mentioned her file was a little unusual."

"Enough of that," Penelope interrupted. "Where's everyone else?"

"Last I checked Nora and Vivian were in the den dancing. Reid's helping Alysa with homework in my office. Erin's outside with Noah and Mudgie. And Elle is scouring my collection for wine to go with dinner," Rossi informed them.

"I'll be in the den," Penelope said before hurrying off.

"I think I'll join Elle," Morgan replied before walking off.

:::::::

"Thank you for dinner, Agent Rossi," Alysa said as she stood up from the table.

Everyone else had hurried off to the den leaving just Rossi, Alysa, and Erin in the dining room.

"I'm glad you liked it," Rossi replied with a smile as he started picking up plates. Alysa rushed to help him. "I got this. Why don't you join the others in the den?"

"I can help," Alysa insisted.

Rossi didn't miss the slight frown on Erin's face. "It's okay. I'll help him. You can go to the den with the others."

Alysa hesitated before setting the plates down and heading to the den. "Allen?" Rossi asked once Alysa was out of the room.

Erin gave a simple nod, looking down at her hands as she gathered plates. "He was a firm believer in children should be seen and not heard. When they were seen it was to be doing something productive. I wish I would have divorced him a long time ago."

"Does he get visitation?" Rossi asked.

Erin nodded again. "Since raising polite children, even though it's to a fault and his methods are skewed, it's not a crime. He gets them every other weekend and a month during the summer. Every time I get them back in the summer, it's like they're completely different kids. Last time Alysa didn't talk for two weeks afterwards," She said with a sigh.

"Did you talk to your lawyer?" Rossi asked. He'd met Allen a few times, and the guy had never impressed him much, but hearing Erin talk about how he treated his children made his blood boil. Rossi would give anything to have his children and listen to them talk. He couldn't believe that Allen could so easily want to change the things about his kids that made them who they were.

"Yes, but he can't do anything. We can't prove that he's doing anything wrong. He's not physically abusive, and his lifestyle is family-friendly, so of course, the judge is going to let him have visitation. I'm lucky it's not every weekend and two months of the summer."

Rossi sighed. "Let me know if there's ever anything I can do."

"I will."

:::::::

Everyone had gathered in the den. Elle and the younger two of the Strauss children were sitting on the floor. Penelope and Morgan were seated on the love seat, while Rossi and Strauss were on opposite ends of the couch. Alysa had chosen the armchair and sat with perfect posture. Nora and Reid sat around the coffee table with a chessboard between them.

Rossi wanted to laugh at the twin looks of determination they both held as they moved pieces around. The opening game had started slow, but somewhere in the middle, it had been a war zone. They were both ruthless with their takings, and each collected several victims from the other side. Their end game had slowed down. "Check," Reid called proudly.

There was a pause before a quick movement and a quieter reply. "Check."

Reid sighed as he took his time thinking about his next move. Rossi could see him running through every possible scenario. He moved his Rooke. Nora didn't take long before picking up her Bishop and setting it down on a white square. "Checkmate."

Reid's jaw dropped. "No." He pulled the board closer to him for inspection. "There's no way. I calculated-"

Morgan laughed. "Just admit it, Pretty boy. You were beaten by a five-year-old."

Nora blushed. "Good game," she whispered.

Reid looked at her with shock taking a moment to find his words. "Good game," He eventually muttered.

"I think you should take a break," Elle told him.

Reid nodded, moving away from the coffee table and settling near Elle. "Alysa, why don't you play next?" Erin suggested.

Alysa shook her head. "No, ma'am."

Nora turned around to look at her before pointing to the already reset board. "Please."

Alysa glanced back up at her mom and Rossi, waiting for their nods of approval before joining Nora on the floor. Nora turned the board around with a smile.

Dave was happy to see both Nora and Alysa letting down their walls as they played the game. Alysa was good, but much like Reid, she had lost. Afterwards, Reid called a rematch, which Nora was more than willing to give. This time he'd won, just barely.

:::::::

"Thank you for having us tonight," Erin spoke as they stood at the door later that night.

"It was my pleasure. We should do it again sometime," Rossi said honestly.

"Umm," A tired Nora agreed from Rossi's arms.

"Bye, Nora," Erin said.

"Bye," Nora said with a small wave. "Bye Vivie. Bye Lysa. Bye Noah."

"Bye," They all chimed before leaving.

"Did you have a good day?" Rossi asked as he carried her upstairs, grabbing Simba from the den on his way.

"Yeah," Nora breathed, closing her eyes once again.

"Looks like it," Rossi said with a smile. "All the dancing and chess tired you out."

Nora gave another lazy nod as they reached her room. Rossi used his foot to nudge the door open. He placed her down on the bed debating whether to try and get her in her PJs while she was pretty much already asleep. Rossi figured she'd be okay for the night. He finished tucking her in, turned her night light on, then quietly made his way back downstairs.

He decided to put in the karaoke tape while he picked up the den. He skipped forward to find the ones he'd fallen asleep during the last time he'd watched them. There were several more living room karaoke sessions cataloging several different days. Just as he finished cleaning and sat down, the scene changed.

_Emily was standing on a medium-sized stage in the corner of a bar. There was a band set up behind her with Chris on the drums. A country tune started playing before she took a breath and started singing. "I was born three months too early. The doctor gave me 30 days..."_

Rossi was transfixed. He'd heard her sing before in the previous clips, but none of those had been by herself. By the time the chorus came around for the second time, he found himself wiping away a few tears. Once the song was over, he turned the video off and headed to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is interested, the song is I'm a Survivor by Reba McEntire.


	16. 16 - The Dance Class

_Saturday_

Penelope pulled out the supply list, already marking off the first two items as Rossi grabbed a shopping cart. "We haven't even started yet."

Penelope smiled. Sometimes he really underestimated her. "We ordered her backpack and lunchbox the other day at lunch. It should be here this afternoon."

Nore looked up at him nodding. "Lions."

"Of course," Rossi said with a smile. "What's first then since you have this all figured out?"

"Pencils and a pencil case," Penelope said, taking Nora's hand and leading them to the back of the store, leaving Rossi to push the shopping cart.

Reaching the back of the store, Nora seemed very intrigued by all the school and office supplies. Rossi bet it was the endless options to the five-year-old that grabbed her attention, which he had forgotten was a problem. Everything was heavily debated. Penelope handled that while Rossi grabbed the things that didn't have options like glue and markers.

Rossi was sure it was an hour later when he saw Penelope mark something off towards the bottom of the list. "Is that everything?"

"Of school supplies, yes," Penelope said. "Now, we need to get her uniform stuff."

Rossi nodded before turning the shopping cart around and heading towards clothes. "The principal said to get a few extra shirts than what I thought she would need so I could send them in to get embordered and then the others when the first ones got back. He also said not to worry about the blazer or cardigan unless I thought she would need them."

"Sounds good," Penelope said before looking down at Nora. "Do you want shorts, pants, skirts, or dresses? Or you can get a combination."

"Skirts and dresses," Nora replied before adding an afterthought, "two shorts."

Rossi wasn't surprised. The majority of Nora's wardrobe was dresses, and he was pretty sure she owned three long pairs of pants at the max.

Soon several white polo shirts and lots of kaki had joined the pile of school supplies in the shopping cart. Rossi had thrown in a navy cardigan just in case of a late cold front. Plus, he was sure she would need it next year anyway. It didn't occur to him that young kids grow out of clothes within months. "Does she have any tights?" Penelope asked, making a few more marks on their list as they walked towards the sock and shoes.

Rossi looked puzzled. "Tights?"

Penelope shook her head. "I'll take that as a no. On days it's a little cooler, she might want some, so we'll add a few to the mix."

So Penelope added two pairs of tights and several navy knee-high socks to the cart. "What else is there?"

Penelope didn't even have to look down at the list. "Shoes and bows."

"Bows?" Rossi asked. "That's not part of the uniform."

"No, but it is allowed. I checked. Just think how cute she'll be in her little uniform and bows in her hair," Penelope beamed down at Nora and gently nudged her side. "You want bows, right?"

Nora nodded with a giggle. Rossi couldn't deny that giggle. "Okay, bows it is."

"Don't worry. I'll teach you how to put them in, Grandpa."

Rossi stopped in his tracks. He was still getting used to the idea that that was what he was now. He never thought he would see the day, but watching Penelope help Nora try on her shoes he realized he wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Once shoes and bows had been added to the cart, they headed to the checkout. Penelope handed over a credit card to the cashier that Rossi quickly realized was his own. He'd forgotten that she still had it. He'd have to remember to ask for it back eventually.

Once they were back in Rossi's SUV, Nora and Penelope started a Disney song marathon while Rossi drove them to their next stop: A store to get Nora's dance stuff.

:::::::

The first thing they decided to get at the dance store was a bag for Nora's stuff. As he found a bench to sit at, Rossi wished they had saved it for last. Penelope was currently holding up a pink and a purple bag for Nora to decide between.

"Once you pick one out, we can get your name, and maybe some stars put on it," Penelope suggested.

"Stars?" Nora asked, suddenly transfixed with the idea.

"Of course," Penelope replied.

With a new found interest, Nora grabbed the dark blue bag instead. "Stars."

"Is that the one you want?" Penelope asked, putting the other two back.

Nora gave Penelope a nod taking the bag into her arms. Rossi stood up a rejoined them. "Okay. What's next?"

"Shoes. She needs ballet flats and tap shoes," Penelope replied.

Rossi let out a sign but continued to smile. "Why does she need so many shoes. She already has several pairs at home."

"Did your three wives never teach you that a woman can never have too many shoes?" Penelope asked.

Rossi shook his head. "I didn't really pay that much attention."

"Hence why you've been divorced three times," Penelope joked. "Besides, I know you enjoy shoes just as much."

"Never knock a good custom Italian leather shoe until you've worn them."

Penelope shook her head, laughing. "I'll take Nora to get her shoes, and you can grab an extra hairbrush and hair ties. You'll want to have those to keep in her dance bag."

"I can do that," Rossi told her, leaving them to pick out shoes.

Penelope sat Nora down on a bench while she pulled down a couple of pairs of tap shoes. "Quels sont ces (What are those)?"

Penelope talked as she bent down to unbuckle Nora's sandals. "They're tap shoes. They make a clinking noise when you walk on them. You'll use them for tap dancing."

"Oh," Nora replied as she watched Penelope replace her sandal with the tap shoe.

Penelope instructed Nora to stand and watched her face as she got used to the unfamiliar clank as she took a couple of steps. "How do they feel?" She felt the end of the shoe to see where Nora's toes ended. "Are they too tight or too big?"

Nora took a couple of steps before returning to her seat. "Bien (Good)."

"Good," Penelope repeated, taking the tap shoe off. "Now we'll fit your ballet flats. You'll use them for ballet."

Nora smiled and happily swung her feet as she waited for Penelope to put the other tap shoes up and grab a pair of ballet flats.

Rossi returned with the hairbrush and hair ties just as Penelope was helping Nora put her sandals back on. "How'd it go?"

Penelope held up the two boxes. "We got our shoes. Now she just needs a leotard."

:::::::

Rossi once again found himself sitting back as Penelope and Nora did their thing. He had largely underestimated the number of options they would have.

Eventually, Penelope led Nora out in a light pink leotard with a detachable skirt. When Rossi saw her smile and small spin, he knew they had found the one. "You want that one?"

Nora nodded. "Yes."

"Okay," Rossi told her. "After this, I was thinking we could grab lunch, then go home and get you ready for your first class. How does that sound?"

"Penny come?"

Rossi looked to Penelope, who gave a slight nod. "Of course. Someone has to show me how to do your hair for dance."

Nora grinned, doing one last twirl before going back with Penelope to change out of the leotard. Rossi started gathering their things to head to check-out.

"Where are we going for lunch?" Penelope asked as she and Nora rejoined them.

"Crepes?" Nora asked, looking up.

"IHOP it is," Rossi said.

Nora smiled.

:::::::

Rossi watched Penelope skeptically. "See it is easy," she said, turning back to him.

Rossi shook his head. "I can't even do a ponytail. A bun is not happening."

Penelope laughed and Nora jumped up doing several spins in her new leotard. "You will, with practice."

Rossi shook his head, not sure if that was true. He pulled out his phone. "Do you want to take a picture to send to Erin and Vivian?"

Nora timidly nodded and stopped her twirling. Rossi snapped several photos and allowed her to pick her favorite to send. "Do you have everything you need?" Rossi asked afterward as they got ready to go.

Nora nodded, pulling up the strap of her dance bag on her shoulder. She had insisted on carrying it herself. "Then I think we're ready," Penelope said, grabbing her stuff and heading towards the door.

Rossi followed them, grabbing his keys and turning the lights off on his way.

:::::::

Rossi and Penelope entered the observation room where several moms were already sitting and quietly chatting. Their eyes turned at the new people. Rossi was sure even if he wasn't a profile he would have caught their surprise and curiosity at a man joining their ranks. He was glad he'd brought Penelope along because he was not up for playing twenty questions with these moms.

"You must be new. I'm Pam," One of the blondes, and Rossi assumed the leader of the pack, introduced.

"Rossi."

"Penelope," She said with a smile. Unlike Rossi, she was unfazed.

"Is this your daughter's first-time taking dance?" Pam asked, already on the hunt for information.

"Granddaughter," Rossi corrected. "And yes."

"And I'm just a family friend," Penelope added.

All the women nodded, preparing their own introductions. They went around the room before coming back to Pam. "She'll love it. My Shelby's been taking dance at this studio since she was two. She's the one warming up by the bar," Pam said, pointing to a tall for her age blonde girl through the observation glass.

Rossi nodded appropriately, not really caring to make friends with all the moms. Especially since they were already getting under his skin with their braggy tones. Penelope, on the other hand, took more interest and listened as all the other moms pointed out their children and how good the studio was.

Rossi tuned them out and watched Nora. Despite her excitement about dance, he could tell that now that she was in a room with nine other girls, she was nervous. She stood back watching. She followed the directions from the teacher, but that was it. While the other girls had to be reminded to be quiet or focus, she didn't.

When the class drew to an end and the teacher pulled all the kids to sit on the floor for a quick game Nora sat away from the other girls. Rossi could tell she held no interest in the game and was kind of glad the teacher didn't push her to participate. He didn't want Nora to dislike dance just because she didn't want to play a game with the other girls.

It did concern Rossi, though. If Nora wasn't comfortable in a room with only nine other children, how would school go?

Once class was over, they followed the moms to meet the kids outside. Nora was the last one out of the room, closely followed by the teacher. "You did really good today," She praised.

Nora smiled. "You did," Rossi confirmed.

"I'll see you next Saturday," The teacher said, earning another small smile from Nora.

"Did you have fun?" Penelope asked, taking Nora's hand as they walked to the car.

"Yeah," Nora replied softly. Her smile turned to a frown.

"What's wrong, Bug?" Penelope asked.

"Miss Meg," Nora admitted.

Rossi thought back to the videos. Nora and Meg seemed to enjoy performing in most of them, so it only made since the activity would remind Nora of her absence. Rossi was thinking about the videos, so he missed Penelope's reply, but it seemed to brighten Nora's mood a little.

:::::::

"What this?" Nora asked later that night, holding up the videotape Rossi had left on the TV stand by accident.

"It's a videotape. It has videos on it," Rossi replied. He debated whether he wanted to show her. On one hand it could help, or on the other hand, it could cause her to miss her family even more. Rossi decided that that probably wasn't possible and walked over to the Tv. "Bunny sent them. They're home videos." Nora's eyes lit up at the mention of her bunny. "Why don't we watch it."

Nora nodded, handing over the tape and running to sit on the couch. Rossi put in the tape and pressed play. It was familiar to him, so he spent more time watching Nora as her eyes lit up, and she pointed out all the people she knew as they came on screen.

"Bunny"

"Aunt Katie"

"Aunt Tsia"

"Uncle Chris and Meg"

"Mama"

They made it through over an hour on the tape before Nora's eyes started to droop. Rossi paused the video and lifted Nora into his arms. "Bedtime. We can watch more tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Rossi repeated.


	17. 17- First Day of School

_Monday_

"Are you excited?" Rossi asked Nora over pancakes Monday morning.

Nora shook her head as syrup dripped down onto her pajama shirt. Rossi reached over with a napkin trying to clean up the majority of it before it became a bigger mess. "Would you like to share what you're nervous about?"

Nora shook her head again. "No." She then stabbed another cut piece of her pancakes, being more careful of the sticky syrup trying to get everywhere.

Rossi hoped that despite everything, Nora would actually enjoy her first day of school. Maybe she just needed to see it wasn't that bad. "Remember Dr. Albright said that at any time you need to, just let your teacher know, and you can go to Dr. Lewis's office. Whether you need help with an assignment or are just overwhelmed, she's there to help you."

Nora gave a small tilt of her head, acknowledging she had heard Rossi. He hoped, once again, that once Nora was actually in the classroom, she would enjoy school. They finished their pancakes in silence, then Rossi took their empty plates to the sink while Nora finished off her apple juice. After she finished, Rossi took a damp cloth wiping Nora free of syrup. "Your uniform is laying out on your bed. Once you get dressed, come back in here, and we'll try to do your hair."

While Nora got dressed, Rossi did the dishes and wiped the counter down as he worried about doing Nora's hair. His ponytail had improved some, but it was still a work in progress. The original plan had been for Penelope to do Nora's hair since she insisted she be there to send Nora off on her first day. However, that plan had was abandoned by logic. Penelope lived closer to the school and the office. Going to Rossi's house beforehand didn't make much sense to them. He was hoping leaving it down and putting in a headband would suffice Nora for the day. Though, she'd been quite excited about the bows Penelope had gotten the other day.

His hopes were dashed when Nora returned to the kitchen, holding a book, her hairbrush, a couple of hair ties, and two bows. Rossi noted she hadn't done the clasp on her dress or put her shoes and socks on. "Come here," He said, taking the things from her hands and setting them on the counter. Rossi then bent down and clasped the straps of her dress in the front. Once he did that, he lifted her up on the stool. "So, not a headband day?"

Nora shook her head, reaching for the book she had brought. Rossi sighed. It wasn't going to be good if she had to bring him a reference. That meant it wasn't a ponytail day either. Nora pointed to the cartoon girl on the cover with her hair in pigtails, then looked up at Rossi with a grin.

"Ya sure?" Rossi asked, already knowing the nightmare it was going to be to get them even. But he would try anything to make her smile.

A lot of attempts later and several whispered swears, Nora had less lopsided pigtails than before. Now came the test of if he remembered how Penelope had shown him to clip the bows in. Thankfully that seemed to go a lot easier as he clipped the two navy, curled ribbon bows above each pigtail. Rossi then snapped a picture for Nora to see and to send to Penelope for approval. He showed it to Nora, who hugged him with a grin. "Grazie (Thank You)."

"Prego (You're Welcome)." Rossi smiled and handed her the book and hairbrush back. "Go put these up. Then get your bookbag, socks, shoes, and anything else you need and bring them here."

Nora took the stuff with a nod and scampered off to her room. While she did that, Rossi pulled out everything to pack her lunch. He had done a majority of the prep work the night before. He had packed a lot of the same Italian foods his mother had packed them over the years, though in smaller quantities. His mother had usually sent him and his sister to school with enough food to feed them and several other classmates, which had often happened. Rossi was pretty sure at least a couple of his friends in younger school were his friends just for his mother's cooking.

By the time Nora had returned, he had her lunch all fixed. "Is that everything?"

Nora nodded, setting her bookbag, Simba, and her CD on the stool while handing him her shoes and socks. Instead of waiting for Rossi to help her onto the stool, she plopped down on the floor and stretched her legs out in front of her. With a grunt and small protest from his knees, Rossi joined her on the ground to help her with her shoes. Mudgie took the opportunity to get attention, making the process more difficult. But soon enough, Nora was ready to go. Rossi helped her put her bookbag on and handed her her lunch box. He then took a few pictures to send to Erin. In response, she sent a picture of Vivian and Noah waving and a message wishing Nora a happy first day.

Once in the car, Nora held Simba in her lap as she quietly hummed along to the personal recordings on her CD. She insisted Rossi play them on a loop forgoing all the other songs.

:::::::

Penelope met them at the car and had Nora out of her booster seat before Rossi even had his seat belt undone. When he noticed the camera hanging around her neck, he was happy they had arrived early. "Why don't we leave Simba in the car?" He heard Penelope suggest.

He had never explicitly told Nora she could take Simba to school, nor had he told her she couldn't. But to his surprise at Penelope's suggestion Nora carefully placed him back in her booster seat. Penelope held her hand out for Nora to take. "See, now, when you get home, you'll be able to tell him about how fun your day was."

Rossi then found himself standing back as Penelope and Nora had a mini photoshoot. He had hated wearing a uniform as a child in his New England Catholic school. However, seeing Nora in her little uniform, he had to admit it was kind of adorable. "Rossi, can you take a few of us?" Penelope asked, holding out the camera.

"Sure," Rossi said, walking over to take the camera from her. He then snapped several pictures of the duo as they did everything from silly to serious poses.

Eventually, Penelope walked back towards him, holding her hand out for the camera. "Your turn."

Rossi happily joined Nora and posed for several photos. Nora was admittedly calm and happy during the whole ordeal. However, as the time to say goodbye got closer and more children started joining them, he could sense her nerves. "Do you want us to walk you to your class?"

Nora nodded, grabbing his hand while still clutching her lunch box and then holding her other hand out for Penelope to take. The three of them walked to the classroom. Too quickly for Nora's comfort, they reached the door. Rossi bent down and pulled her into a hug. "Just give it a chance, okay. Remember, if you need anything, tell your teacher, and she'll help."

Nora nodded, holding on to the hug just a little longer. Penelope went next, pulling her into a hug. "I want to hear all about your day tonight. You're going to have so much fun, Bug."

"Kay," Nora replied, letting going and looking at the door wearily.

"I love you, Nora," Rossi told her.

Nora gave him a nod before biting her lip and walking into the room.

As soon as she was gone, Penelope turned to Rossi. "She's going to be okay, right?"

Rossi nodded. "Everyone here wants her to be comfortable and help. I think she'll be okay."

"Okay," Penelope said to reassure herself. "What are you going to do now that you have all this time?"

"Well, first, I'm taking Nora's uniforms to get the school logo put on them. After that, clean up around the house, work on my book some. And I haven't told Nora yet, but we're going to New York over her spring break, so I have to start working on tickets and hotels and stuff," Rossi told her.

"New York?" Penelope asked, intrigued.

"I told my mother about Nora. Now she wants to meet her, and I try my hardest to keep the Rossi family out of Virginia, so to New York, we go," Rossi explained as they walked down the hallway.

"How do you think Nora is going to take it?"

Rossi sighed. "My family can be a bit much for anyone. I intend to plan lots of outings away from my family. Show her some of the places I grew up."

"That sounds like fun. I want lots of pictures," Penelope told him just as they reached their cars.

"Of course," Rossi replied, pulling out his keys. "See you later."

"Call me tonight. I want to hear all about Nora's day," Penelope called back, getting into her own vehicle.

:::::::

Nora watched the other children playing and talking as they waited for the start of the lesson. Instead of joining them, she stood with her back against the wall clutching her lunch box. Mrs. Baker, her teacher who she had met on their tour, clapped her hands to get the attention of all the students. They all stopped. "Time to clean up and take your seats."

Nora stayed still until Mrs. Baker approached her. "Good morning, Nora. Why don't we put your things in your cubby."

Nora didn't say anything but followed Mrs. Baker over to the cubbies. Mrs. Baker pointed out a cubby with her name above it. "This one is yours. Every morning you'll put your bookbag and lunch box in here. Then you'll get your supplies and take them to your spot, okay."

Nora hesitantly took her bookbag off and got her pencil pouch out, and put everything else in the cubby. "Good, now follow me," Mrs. Baker instructed, leading Nora to the front of the classroom.

The rest of the students had already taken their seats. "Students, we have a new student today, Elanor Rossi. She just moved here. I expect you all to be a good friend. Nora, why don't you sit with Lily and Harper."

The two girls in question raised their hands. Nora slowly made her way to the table, taking the open seat between the two girls. She didn't like that.

The morning was uneventful. The teacher worked with them on word creation and naming colors. Nora liked those things, and the teacher didn't make her talk. Morning P.E. had been the first problem of the day. There were too many kids running around the play structures for Nora's comfort. Nora eventually found a soft spot of grass and went through the dance movements she had learned at dance. She really missed Meg.

Back inside, the teacher read them a story, and they worked on writing. When they completed their writing activities, they got to color. Nora liked that. Her seat partners kept trying to talk to her, but eventually, Mrs. Baker told them it wasn't talking time enough times they stopped.

Lunch had been uneventful. She liked Rossi's lunch. It was better than the food her old school had served. A couple of kids tried to get her to talk, but after she ignored them enough, they stopped. They weren't Meg.

The biggest problem of the day was after lunch when the teacher pulled out numbers. Nora didn't like that. She raised her hand like Rossi had told her to. "Nora?" The teacher asked.

"Go, please," Nora whispered. "Dr. Lewis."

"You may," Mrs. Baker said with a nod. "Take your worksheet and wait outside the door."

Nora gathered her pencil pouch and the offending paper and stood out the door. She wanted to cry, but she didn't. She was happy when Dr. Lewis approached her with a soft smile. "Want to go to my office?"

Nora nodded. She was happy when they switched to French as they walked down the hall. Nora liked French.

:::::::

Penelope had the photos she had taken of Nora up on the screen, excitedly showing the team as they waited for Hotch. "Did Rossi do her hair?" Morgan replied.

"Yep," Penelope replied. "Pretty good compared to some of his other attempts."

"How did she handle the drop-off?" Kate asked, already thinking about asking Clyde to get one of his employees to hack Penelope's system to get one of the pictures.

"Uhm," Penelope paused, not expecting the new girl to ask her a question. "Okay. She was nervous, but she handled it well."

"Is Rossi coming back now?" Elle asked.

Penelope shook her head. "No, he's actually taking the month. He said something about using the time to work on his book."

"I'll believe it when I see it," A new voice chuckled.

The team turned to the door and quickly sat up straighter. "Section Chief Strauss," JJ greeted.

"Stand down," Erin said to the shock of them all and turned to address Penelope. "Dave said you had pictures."

Penelope smiled, going back to the beginning of the slide show. "Of course."

"I see Dave did her hair. He's getting better," Erin noted.

"Yeah, I taught him how to put in the bows. Nora's really into them now."

"How did her dance class go?"

"She's a little apprehensive of all the other kids but other than that, she's doing pretty good," Penelope said, smiling. "I got a few videos. I'll send them to you."

"Section Chief Strauss," Hotch greeted, entering the room with a nod.

"Hotchner," Erin moved to leave. "I was just coming to see how Nora's morning had gone."

Hotch gave another nod in acknowledgment before turning to the team to start the debriefing.

:::::::

Rossi smiled as Nora exited the school with her teacher behind her. "How was your day?"

Nora shrugged and started fiddling with the strap on her bookbag. "She had a pretty good day. She did go visit Dr. Lewis, but for the first day, she did great."

Rossi nodded. "Okay, thank you." He looked down at Nora. "Can you say bye, Nora?"

"Bye," Nora mumbled, not bothering to look up.

In the car, Rossi put on a Disney CD Penelope had gotten and turned the volume on low. "Do you want to talk about your day?"

"No."

"Okay," Rossi replied, kind of expecting that response. "I actually wanted to talk to you about spring break. You know how I told you my family would want to meet you. I thought maybe we could visit New York on your break. Would you be okay with that?"

"Italian and cooking?" Nora questioned.

"Lots of both things. My mother will be delighted to have such a willing student," Rossi told her.

His mother would love Nora, that he knew. All the grandchildren and great-grandchildren had learned Italian as a consequence of being in the family, and none of them had eagerly sought out to learn it. As for cooking, most of them loved eating it but lacked the patients to cook large meals.

"Okay," Nora whispered.

"Okay," Rossi repeated, glad that it had gone over relatively good. He still planned to spend plenty of quiet time away from his family. Penelope was compiling a list for him of things they could do in New York. Though the main purpose of the trip was to visit his family, he still wanted Nora to have a good vacation.

:::::::

Penelope had informed Rossi earlier in the day that the team was on a case, so Nora's phone call would have to wait till before bedtime. Instead, when they got home, Nora changed into play clothes and took Mudgie outside to run around. Sergio watched from his spot on a patio chair. Rossi had to admit the cat was very well behaved. When Nora wasn't around, he did his own thing, which involved mostly hanging out on high spots near a window.

Rossi thought Nora would be tired after running around with Mudgie for an hour, but she still seemed to have plenty of energy. So much so she requested the practice CD her dance teacher had given her and spent her time practicing in the den while Rossi started on dinner.

At dinner, Rossi once again brought up the topic of school. "How was lunch?" It seemed like an easy topic to start.

"Good," Nora whispered.

"I thought so," Rossi replied. "What did you enjoy today about school?"

"Reading," Nora replied after several moments of quiet.

Rossi smiled, getting some information. "What did you read about?"

"Dog," Nora replied.

"Was it a big dog like Mudgie or a small dog?"

"Little," Nora replied, then changed topics. "Watch video?"

Rossi did a small victory dance in his head for getting Nora to hold an admittedly short conversation, but a conversation at least. He then smiled sadly. "Yes, we can watch the videos after dinner and a bath."

Ever since she had discovered them Saturday, they had watched a least an hour every day. So far, they had just been watching parts of the first two tapes over and over. He wanted to preview the rest of them before allowing Nora to view them. He hadn't finished the third one yet. He also noted to see if Penelope could make a digital copy of all the tapes for safekeeping.

After dinner, Nora had her bath and then snuggled up on the couch with her video. They watched a good portion of it before calling Penelope. After a good thirty-minute conversation, mostly skirting around how her day at school had been, Rossi tucked her in and headed back downstairs.

:::::::

Rossi headed to the den deciding that if Nora's interest in the tapes was going to continue, he better start previewing them. Deciding to begin a new one, he pulled one out at random and turned it over to read the label **'School interviews.'**

The scene opened to a young girl that Rossi recognized as Meg sitting on a chair.

_"Can you say your name?"_

Rossi recognized the voice behind the camera to belong to Kate.

_"Meg."_

_"And how old are you?"_

_"T'ree!" She said, holding up three fingers._

_"What grade are you going to be in?"_

_"Nursery."_

_"What's your favorite color?"_

_"Purple."_

_"Favorite movie?"_

_"Bug," Meg replied, wiggling in her seat._

_"A Bug's Life," Kate repeated. "Favorite food?"_

_"Loops."_

_"Favorite person?"_

_"Noa!"_

_There was a small chuckle. "Okay, and what do you want to be when you grow up?"_

_"Circus."_

_There were a few more giggles as the scene faded. The scene reappeared with a similar setup, but a now older Meg._

_"Can you say your name?"_

_"Meg."_

_"And how old are you?"_

_"Four," She said, holding up four fingers._

_"What grade are you going to be in?"_

_"Reception."_

_"What's your favorite color?"_

_"Blue."_

_"Favorite movie?"_

_"Toy Story."_

_"Favorite food?"_

_"Green Beans."_

_"Favorite person?"_

_"Noa!" She replied with just as much excitement as the year before._

_"What do you want to be when you grow up?"_

_"Teacher."_

_The scene then transitioned to a little Nora in the same chair while Meg was just in frame sitting on the floor in front of her._

_"Can you say your name?" Emily asked, taking over behind the camera._

_"Nora."_

_"How old are you?"_

_"Three," She said, holding up three fingers after prompting from Meg._

_"What grade are you going to be in?"_

_"Nursery."_

_"What's your favorite color?"_

_"'ellow."_

_"Favorite movie?"_

_"Lion."_

_"Who would have thought?" Clyde quietly said off-camera._

_"Favorite food?"_

_"'ettie."_

_"You're going to turn into spaghetti," Emily joked before the next question."Favorite person?"_

_"Meg."_

_Meg was bouncing in her spot, unable to stay still, smiling at Nora's statement._

_"Of course, who else would be, and what do you want to be when you grow up?"_

_"Lion."_

_There were a few chuckles than Clyde speaking, "Little lion wants to be a lion."_

_"I can think of nothing more fitting," Kate spoke, walking in the frame just as the scene faded._

_Once again, the scene opened to Meg sitting in the same chair, the same spot just a little older._

_"Can you say your name?"_

_"Meg Call'han."_

Rossi froze at the name. So that confirmed his theory. The new agent was the same Kate. It made him wonder what she was doing here, and why hadn't she taken Nora to live with her if they were as close as it seemed? Though he was glad she didn't, or he would have never met Nora and known about Emily. Despite all his questions, Rossi wanted to get through visiting his family before dragging up everything. The fact Kate had been there and not said anything meant it could wait a little longer.

_"And how old are you?"_

_"Five," She said, holding up her hand._

_"What grade are you going to be in?"_

_"One."_

_"What's your favorite color?"_

_"Green."_

_"Favorite movie?"_

_"Cinderella."_

_"Favorite food?"_

_"Mashed Potatoes."_

_"Favorite person?"_

_"Nora."_

_"I see somethings don't change." Kate paused. "What do you want to be when you get older?"_

_"A spy."_

_There was lots of laughter as the scene cut to Nora in the chair. This time Meg was not in the frame, but a newer looking stuffed Simba was in Nora's lap._

_"Can you say your name?"_

_"Nora."_

_"And how old are you?"_

_"Quatre (Four)," She said, holding up four fingers._

_"English," Emily reminded with a hint of pride at Nora's quick grasp of French. "What grade are you going to be in?"_

_"Reception."_

_"What's your favorite color?"_

_"Pink."_

_"Favorite movie?"_

_"Lion King."_

_"Favorite food?"_

_"Cake."_

_"Favorite person?"_

_"Meg and Bunny."_

_Clyde's proud chuckle could be heard in the background. "Sorry, darling."_

_"It's only because she has you wrapped around her finger," Emily joked before turning her questions back to Nora. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"_

_"Zookeeper."_

_The scene faded, and once again, Meg, a year older, was sitting in the same chair, but the wall was a different color. The color of the wall wasn't the only thing that had changed. Nora was partway in the frame holding Simba in her lap, and the voice behind the camera wasn't Kate. There was also a sadness in Meg's eyes, which was jarring to the overly joyful child he had seen just previously._

_"Can you say your name?" Chris asked._

_"Meg Callahan."_

_"And how old are you?"_

_"Six." She didn't hold up her hands, and the abundance of excitement was gone. She was still seemingly happy, but there was an underline mellow tone to the entire section._

_"What grade are you going to be in?"_

_"Year Two."_

_"What's your favorite color?"_

_"Purple."_

_"Favorite movie?"_

_"Lilo and Stitch."_

_"Favorite food?"_

_"Croque-monsieur." Her pronciation was timid and not as strong as Nora's french._

_"But not my grilled cheese?" Chris asked. Meg nodded. "Favorite person?"_

_"Nora."_

_"What do you want to be when you get older?"_

_"A teacher."_

_Then the script changed too. "What do you want to tell Aunt Kate?"_

_"Love you, Aunt Kate. Miss you."_

Based on what Penelope had told him from her and Nora's conversation, he had suspected that Meg was not Kate's daughter. Meg's message only confirmed his theory. He wondered where Kate was during the video and why the change of place.

_Finally, the scene changed to Nora in the chair. Once again, Simba was in her lap while Mag sat in the same spot Nora had left._

_"Can you say your name?" Chris once again asked as he had done with Meg._

_"Nora."_

_"And how old are you?"_

_"Five." Her hands stayed playing with Simba while her eyes looked downcast._

_"What grade are you going to be in?"_

_"Year One."_

_"What's your favorite color?"_

_"Pink."_

_"Favorite movie?"_

_"Lion King."_

_"Favorite food?"_

_"Crepes."_

_"Favorite person?"_

_"Meg and Mama."_

_"What do you want to be when you grow up?"_

_"A dancer."_

_"And what do you want to tell Mama?"_

_"Miss you Mama, and Bunny, and Aunt Katie, and Aunt Tsia. Love you, Mama."_

Rossi didn't know what to think at the end of the video. He did the math. The video would have been shot a month or so before his daughter's death. According to the video, they had been away sometime before that. He wondered if that had anything to do with her death? Had Nora gotten to see her mom between the video and her death? He knew from Penelope Nora had been present at the time, but had she seen her mom before that? His questions led to more questions. Namely about Kate and what she was doing in the States now working with his team? Was Meg with her? Chris? Rossi had many questions, but none were getting answered that night, so he decided he might as well head to bed.


	18. 18 - The Picture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a small historical error in this chapter, but I thought the idea was too cute to make it historically accurate. Also because I forgot when I was first writing this that smartphones really weren't a thing yet, or were just coming out around this time.

_Thursday_

Rossi and Nora fell into a routine over the course of the week. They'd eat breakfast, Nora would get dressed while Rossi fixed her lunch, he'd do her hair and shoes. (He was getting pretty good at doing her hair if you asked him. Penelope and Erin told him not to quit his day job.), they would take pictures to send to Penelope and Erin, they would listen to the same last tracks of her CD in the car, he would walk her to her class, and he would pick her up every afternoon to be informed she spent the afternoon in Dr. Lewis's office.

Rossi was happy with their little routine except for the last part. By Thursday, he was concerned about the fact Nora hadn't spent an entire day in class. So that afternoon, over dinner, he decided to ask Nora about it. "Is everyone nice at school?"

Nora nodded, fidgeting like she always did when school was brought up. "Is anyone being mean?"

Nora shook her head.

"Do you like your teacher?"

Another nod.

"Do you like your class?"

Nora shrugged.

"What don't you like about it?"

Nora was quiet for a moment before mumbling something in French.

"Again, please?"

"Numbers," Nora mumbled in English.

"Numbers?" Rossi asked.

"Don't like," Nora replied, looking down at her plate.

Rossi had a light bulb moment. Mrs. Baker had mentioned Nora had been consistent with her time of leaving. Rossi didn't doubt Nora's dislike of school stemmed from the number of people, but the dislike of numbers could be the cause of her avoidance. The people thing would take time, but numbers were something they could work on.

"Why don't you like them?"

"Confusing"

"Okay," Rossi said, ending the topic.

After dinner, he emailed Mrs. Baker about the new revelation and set up a meeting to decide what they could do to help Nora. He then shot a text to Penelope and Reid, knowing they would have some ideas on how to help.

::::::

Rossi had made great progress through the tapes. Nora had moved beyond the karaoke ones, and they were now on home videos. So after dinner and a bath, they snuggled up on the couch and put one in.

_"You look like a crazy person," Emily joked, swatting the camera away from her face._

_"But it's the girls' first trip to the zoo," Chris defended._

_"Then film them," Emily said, looking in front of them._

_Chris turned the camera to Kate and the girls who were crouched in front of a tortoise exhibit._

Rossi guessed they were about 2 and 3.

_"Are you having fun?" Chris asked as Emily joined them and crouched down._

_The two girls turned to the camera, nodding. "Yeah," Meg exclaimed._

_"What do you want to go see next?" Kate asked, standing up._

_"Lion," Nora said._

_"Bugs!"_

_Kate held back a grimace while Emily chuckled. "The bug exhibits are around the corner, so we'll go see those first. Then the Lions."_

_Kate shook her head. "You guys head along. I'm going to grab a soda, and I'll catch up."_

_Meg pouted. "Aunt Kate see bugs."_

_Emily smirked as Kate tried to talk her way out of seeing the bugs. "Go with Aunt Em and Chris. They know a lot about bugs. I'm going to go get us a snack, okay?"_

_"Food?" Meg asked, suddenly interested in the prospect of Kate not going to the bugs with them._

_Kate nodded. "Yeah, now go along. When you get done looking at the bugs, I'll have us a snack."_

_"Okay," Meg said, happily skipping ahead to take Emily's other hand._

Rossi had to give Chris credit for filming what he was pretty sure was the entire Zoo trip. It could not have been fun carrying a camera the entire time. Rossi's favorite moment had been Nora's reaction to the lions as Emily had picked her up to see better.

"Time for bed," Rossi said, turning off the tv.

Nora's eyes were dropping with the need for sleep, but she looked up at Rossi with her best puppy eyes. "More, please?"

Rossi shook his head and stood up. "It is already past your bedtime, and you have school in the morning." Nora gave a tired huff as Rossi scooped her up. "We can watch more tomorrow."

"Kay," Nora whispered, snuggling into his arms.

Rossi just smiled as he carried her up the stairs with Mudgie and Sergio on his heels like always.

:::::::

_Friday_

Friday, Rossi had set up a meeting with Mrs. Baker and Dr. Lewis. The team was flying back that afternoon from their case, so Penelope had time to pick up Nore and watch her until he was done. They were saving extended day till after she was more adjusted and he returned to work.

"Penny!" Nora exclaimed, running down the stair to meet the blonde she hadn't seen in person since Monday.

"Bug," Penelope said, wrapping her in a hug and lifting her up. "Did you have a good day?"

Nora gave a small nod. "Read about stars."

"I bet that was cool. Did you dazzle them with all your starry knowledge?"

Nora shook her head with a smile. "No."

"Next time then," Penelope said just as a young woman with a young boy at her side approached them.

"You're new, right?"

"Uhm, yes."

The woman smiled. "Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Patty, the PTO president for the primary school."

"Penelope Garcia," Penelope offered.

"Your daughter's in the same class as my son." Patty offered.

"She's not my daughter. Her gra-" Penelope tried to explain, but Patty cut her off.

"It's okay we accept any guardians into the PTO," Patty handed her a business card. "Here's my number. We could really use some more passionate guardians on the PTO."

Before Penelope could say anything else, the woman was gone. "That was- uhm, how about we go get a sweet treat before heading to the office?"

"Yes," Nora said, cheerfully.

:::::::

"So, how was your afternoon?" Rossi asked, entering Penelope's lair to find them laughing at a movie playing on one of Penelope's monitors.

His meeting had gone very well. They had set up a plan for Nora to work with numbers at school and at home.

"Good," Nora replied, jumping down to start gathering her things.

"Some mom tried to get me to join PTO. I tried to explain I wasn't Nora's guardian, but she wouldn't hear it," Penelope explained.

Rossi took Nora's bag from her and helped her put her shoes back on. "You should."

"Wait, what?" Penelope asked, turning to face Rossi and Nora.

"Well, I don't think they really would want me on the PTO, and it's not really my thing anyway. It is, however, your thing. I know you, Penelope, PTO is right up your alley. So if you want to join PTO on my behalf you can," Rossi explained.

Penelope took a moment to process. "I'll think about it."

"Okay," Rossi said standing back up. "Tell Penelope bye."

Nora ran up to hug Penelope. "Bye, Penny."

"Bye, Bug."

Rossi took Nora's hand. "Are you still on for tomorrow?"

Penelope nodded. "As soon as I'm done here."

"Okay, see you then."

:::::::

"Want to help me with dinner?" Rossi asked once Nora returned downstairs in her play clothes.

"Yes," Nora replied, running to the sink where a pink stepstool sat. She knew the routine and jumped up on the stepstool and held her hands out, waiting for Rossi to put soap on them and turn the water on.

Once their hands were clean, Nora moved the stepstool to stand next to Rossi at the counter. "Can you count me out four potatoes?" Rossi asked as he went to the cabinet to grab the cutting board and a knife.

"One, two, three, four," She spoke slowly.

"Good, we're also going to add two carrots. How many vegetables is that?" Rossi asked, placing the cutting board down and grabbing two carrots, and setting them beside the potatoes.

Nora shook her head with a small huff.

"Why don't you count them out with the potatoes?"

Nora looked down, pointing out each vegetable as she did. "One, two, three, four, five, six."

"So four potatoes, plus two carrots, is how many vegetables?"

"Six!"

Rossi smiled at her. "Yep."

Nora gave a happy nod and looked up at him, waiting for more. So he did. They spent the rest of the prep counting things and adding items together. Rossi even threw in some Italian to hold Nora's new interest in numbers. He knew that they still had a lot of work, but it was progress. As he had learned with Nora, any progress was a big deal.

:::::::

After dinner and impromptu dance rehearsal, they settled down for another home video as promised the night before.

_The scene opened in a living room with a pillow fort in the middle with only fairy lights and faux candles lighting the room. "May we come in?" Kate asked, holding the camera._

_The sheet moved to reveal Meg and Nora, giggling from inside the fort. "Password?" Meg asked._

_"Uhm, lions," Kate asked._

_The two girls shook their heads. Emily entered the frame with a bowl of popcorn. "How about we come bearing food for the princesses who reside here?"_

_Meg and Nora looked at each other before nodding and moving out of the way. Emily and Kate entered the fort hunched over a little and set the bowl of popcorn in the middle. "Thank you for letting us enter," Kate spoke._

_"Yeah," Emily agreed. "We would have been dragon food out there."_

_To prove her point there was a roar as a shadow was cast across the entrance. The girls jumped but were giggling. Chris poked his head into the entrance and let out another roar. "I smell food."_

_He crawled further in, grabbing a piece of popcorn. "We need a knight to slay the dragon!" Emily called._

_"I've come to slay the dragon," Clyde responded, squeezing into the entrance with Chris. He had a sheet tied around his shoulders like a cape and a foam sword. He waved the sword at Chris and gently hit him in the shoulder. "Be gone you, dragon."_

_"ahh," Chris said, dramatically laying down with his eyes closed. His legs were hanging out the entrance as Clyde climbed over him to sit next to Emily._

_The girls started cheering. "Oh, thank you, such kind knight," Emily praised._

_"Always my darling," Clyde said, planting a kiss on Emily's cheek. He then turned and did the same to Nora. "And little darling."_

_Chris opened one eye. "May I have some more popcorn?"_

_Meg gave her best glare. "You're a dead dragon."_

_"So no popcorn?" Chris asked._

_Kate grabbed a few pieces of popcorn and dropped them in his mouth. "Here you go."_

_"Thank you, madame."_

_"Now, no more talking," Meg instructed._

_Nora crawled into Clyde's lap. "Knight again?"_

_"Later," He whispered, reaching for some popcorn. "Gotta recharge first."_

_"Okay."_

:::::::

Rossi decided to start another tape after Nora went to bed. He was finally down to the last row of tapes. When he picked up the one in the middle, he was surprised to see something at the bottom of the box. He picked it up and turned it over. It took his brain a moment to realize what it was, but once he did, he smiled as tears came to his eyes.

It was worn and slightly faded, but it was a young picture of his daughter. She was in a leotard and had her hair up in a bun as she was mid, turn. In the bottom corner, someone had written ** _'Emily, age 8'._**

Rossi wondered if it had meant to be put in the box or if it was an accident. Either way, he was grateful for the glimpse of his daughter's childhood. Forgetting about the tapes, he took the picture into his office and pulled down Nora's album. He found himself looking through it again before tucking the new picture in the back. He then retired to bed. They had a long week ahead of them.

:::::::

_Saturday_

Saturday morning was a little hectic, which meant cereal for breakfast. Nora didn't seem to mind and ran off with Rossi's phone as soon as he finished. He had thought it was a little ridiculous when Penelope had instructed him to download a language app for Nora to improve her Italian before their trip. He felt the best way to learn was through conversation and from people, but he had to admit it was adorable. Nora had taken refuge in the tent in her room. Whenever he passed by her door, he could hear her repeating the words and their English counterparts and sometimes their French counterparts as well.

With her occupied, Rossi did some last-minute packing. Nora still wasn't packed, but that was waiting until that afternoon when Penelope came over. She'd ordered Nora a lion king suitcase she was very excited for. It had been decided, Penelope was going to spend the night to drive them to the airport in the morning. She would also be checking on Mudgie and Sergio throughout the week they were gone.

Rossi, however, was stopped in his preparations when he heard strings of french from Nora's room and not just the occasional sentence or word. He peaked into her room to find her with the phone to her ear, having a conversation. "Who are you talking to?"

Nora looked up slightly startled. Rossi thought he also saw a little guilt. Instead of speaking, she held out the phone to him. "Hello?" He asked, holding it up to his ear.

_"Good morning, Dave."_

"Erin." That explained the French. "Did you call, or did Nora figure out how to use my phone?"

_"I called."_

"What did you need?"

_"Well, Alan has a work engagement this weekend, so I have the kids. Vivian wanted to teach Nora more dance. I know you're busy with your trip, but I was wondering if you wanted to meet at a park after Nora's dance class."_

"That should be fine. Let me ask Nora real quick." Ross looked down at Nora, who was gently petting her large Simba. "Do you want to meet Erin and her kids at the park after dance?"

Nore nodded excitedly. "Please."

"We have a yes."

_"Okay, I'll send you the address later."_

"Okay, see you then, Erin."

_"See you later. Bye, Dave."_

"Goodbye."

:::::::

Nora had managed to get in another practice before dance class. Dave had unsuccessfully done Nora's hair in a bun before resorting to a ponytail. Nora's hair was short enough that it was still out of her way. Much like the week before, Nora stayed away from actually interacting with the other girls. But she did seem to have more confidence. A few moms even complimented how much she had already improved. Rossi had to admit he was very proud of Nora. She had found something she loved. He almost didn't care that he had heard her rehearsal tape at least 30 times that week.

While the other moms talked, Rossi stared at his phone, doing last-minute checks that everything was ready for their trip. After Nora's class, her teacher pulled him into the room after everyone else had left. "Nora's doing really good and is catching up quickly."

Nora beamed as Rossi gently patted her shoulder. "She likes practicing."

"I'm sure." The teacher then pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him. "Our spring recital is coming up at the end of April. Nora's group will have one piece with just their group, then a piece with a couple of older groups, and then a trio performance. The piece with the other groups has costumes. This year Nora's group are different flowers. You can either make her costume or order one. You can get with Ms. June for specifications for whatever you choose."

"Okay, thank you."

"You're welcome. See you next week."

They parted with smiles. "Did you have fun?" Rossi asked as they walked to the bathroom so Nora could change into play clothes.

"Yeah. I'm a daisy," Nora informed him of her assigned flower for their recital.

"Yep, do you want to ask Penelope to make your costume, or do you want to order one?" He knew Penelope would love nothing more than to design Nora's costume.

"Penny." He should have known.

"You can ask her tonight when she comes over." Nora smiled.

:::::::

"Hey," Rossi said, taking a seat next to Erin as Nora ran ahead to meet with Vivian and Noah. Alysa was sitting at a picnic table with a book.

"Hey, how was school this week?"

"There were a few kinks, but we are working on them. Not too bad for her first week," Rossi replied, sitting back and crossing his arms. "So Alan canceled this weekend?"

Erin sighed. "Yes, and at the last minute too. I hate to say it, but I think the kids were relieved."

"Has he canceled before?" Rossi asked.

"Once, my lawyer told me to keep track, and if it becomes a pattern, we go to court," Erin explained.

"Do you think it's going to become a pattern?"

Erin shrugged. "No, maybe. The last time was almost a year ago."

"My offer still stands," Rossi replied. "If you ever need anything."

"I'll let you know."

Rossi nodded. "It's the least I could do after your help with Nora."

Erin smiled. "I saw you learned how to do pigtails."

Rossi shook his head with a smile. "What she wants, she gets."

"How's dance going?"

Rossi nodded to where Nora was following Vivian's instructions on a routine. "Good, as you can see, she's a very enthusiastic learner."

"Vivie was and still is the same way. My grandmother was a dancer. I guess she gets it from her."

"I don't know," Rossi started. "I fondly remember a lot of banquets you dragged me to."

Erin shook her head with a chuckle. "My skills are limited to the ballroom. My mom tried to get me to do ballet as a kid, and I spent more time on the floor than my toes. I was much better skilled at piano."

Rossi smiled and gently nudged Erin's shoulder. "That I also remember quite fondly."

"What about you?" Erin asked. "Any dancers in your family?"

"None that should be on a stage. We were more of a sports family, despite my mother's efforts," Rossi replied. "She will be quite excited to learn of Nora's interest."

"How did she take the news?"

"Better than expected."

"Your sisters?"

"Don't know. I've been ignoring their calls."

Erin playfully slapped Rossi's shoulder. "They won't like that."

"Yes, but they'll be too preoccupied getting to know Nora to berate me tomorrow."

"Using your own granddaughter as a pawn?"

"When it comes to my sisters and mother, I'll use anyone to keep them off me."

Erin smiled. "I remember. The Christmas you took me home to visit, you had no problem throwing me to the wolves while you went who knows where."

Rossi smiled fondly at the memory, a small sadness creeping up, remembering how he and Erin had parted ways a couple of months after that. He'd seen her a few times over the years, but they hadn't started to patch things until he came out of retirement. "I was golfing, and I'll have you know I didn't want to go, but Vinny, Frank, and Author practically kidnapped me."

"Mhm."

"Believe it or not, it's the truth," Rossi defended.

"Okay," Erin said with a small eye roll. "Penelope said Nora's birthday is coming up in April. Any plans?"

"No clue, though I'm sure Penelope has plenty of ideas."

Erin nodded. "Probably."

"I was thinking maybe just a little get together with the team. And if Nora makes some friends before then she can invite them. And I'm sure she'll want to extend an invite to you and the kids."

"We'll be there."

:::::::

Nora ran to hug Penelope as soon as she entered the house, not caring about the bags the older woman was holding.

"Hey, Bug," Penelope said, setting her bags down and wrapping her arms around Nora.

"Flower please?" Nora asked, looking up at her bubbling with excitement.

"Huh?"

"For dance," Rossi supplied as he closed the front door. "They're being flowers for their recital, and Nora wants you to make her costume."

Penelope nodded with a smile. "Of course." She picked Nora up. "You'll be the prettiest flower in the field."

"I'm a daisy," Nora replied.

"I can see it," Penelope said.

Rossi handed her a piece of paper. "Here are the guidelines for their costumes."

Penelope gave it a once over. "Well, we better get sketching than. Want to help, Bug?"

Nora nodded. "Please."

"Okay," She turned to Rossi. "We'll be in the den. We have work to do."

Rossi watched them go before gathering Penelope's bags and carrying them to the guest room.


	19. 19 - La Famiglia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there are a lot of new characters and names. Most of them don't really pay that much to the story and are more just background. There are a few that will be mentioned throughout the next few chapters, but I do not think it will be too complicated. Let me know if it is.

_Sunday_

For having dragged themselves out of bed at the crack of dawn, they were having a relatively good morning. Rossi had fixed a light breakfast, knowing that his mother was going to feed them like kings for the rest of the week. Penelope was nursing her second coffee while helping Nora Nora get ready. Nora was surprisingly wide awake, even if they weren't. After breakfast, they packed the car, and Penelope drove them to the airport with plenty of time to spare. A couple of tears were shed, and not just by Nora, but promises of video calls throughout the week made the goodbye easier.

Rossi hadn't expected the flight to be a problem, but he was surprised how well Nora did. He'd expected at least a little restlessness, but she was very content on the flight. Then he thought about what little he knew of her background and guessed flying was probably an old practice by now. Rossi had convinced his mother not to ambush them at the airport. So after their flight landed, they loaded everything into their rental car and headed to the Rossi house.

Nora still seemed happy and okay. She had Simba tucked under one arm and Rossi's phone in her other hand on the language app. Rossi was glad to see she was okay because he was a little of a wreck. His relatives were too much for him most of the time. Now he was unleashing them on a shy five-year-old. He just hoped they could get into the house before the craziness happened.

He knew by now the entire Rossi clan probably knew about their newest member, and anyone within an hour's drive was probably going to be camped out at the Rossi house. That was still a surprisingly large number of people. A lot of them had stayed close to home, and only a few of his nieces and nephews had moved out of state. That's one of the reasons he had decided to get such an early flight. He was hoping the earlier they got there, the fewer people that would be there already. He was hoping a small tinkle of people filling the house throughout the day would be better than tidal wave Rossi the moment they opened the door.

"Remember, if you get overwhelmed just let me know. They're just really excited to meet you." Rossi told Nora.

"Italian?" Nora asked, not looking up from the phone.

"Yes, there will probably be some conversations in Italian. My mother will be very happy to have a student."

"Kids?" It was quieter this time.

"Yes, there will be several children there. A few are around your age."

"Okay."

Rossi took a deep breath as he turned into the neighborhood. It was too late to turn back now.

:::::::

Adelaide Rossi lived in a modestly big house. It had six bedrooms and had a large living room and dining room. She may have lived alone, but the large house was rarely empty. Rossi was pleased to see not a whole lot had changed since the last time he had visited a few years ago. There was still a neat garden out front, toys and playhouse littered the front yard, and the driveway was full of cars. It constantly looked like the house was holding a party.

Rossi noticed Nora slink down in her seat when she spotted the five or so kids running around the yard. He turned around to face her after he put the car in park. "Everyone here already loves you. It's going to be a lot, but I'll be here the entire time. You don't have to talk to anyone if you don't want to. They also like hugging, but if you don't want to hug them just say no thank you, okay?"

Nora nodded, pulling Simba closer to her chest. Rossi offered a small smile as he took his phone back and decided it was now or never. The kids in the yard stopped to watch them but didn't say anything. Nora clung tighter to his hand as they approached the door. Rossi didn't even get the chance to knock before the door swung open, and he was yanked into a hug. "Little brother," Maria cooed.

"Mama, Davie's here!" Silvia called from behind her.

Like magic, Adelaide appeared in the foyer moments later, swooping Rossi into a hug as soon as Maria had released him. "You need to come home more often. It's been seven years since the last time you visited."

"Five," Rossi corrected. "I'm sorry."

She released him with a little shake of her head. "It makes no matter anymore, you're here now." She then turned to Nora, who was holding on to Rossi looking like a deer in headlights. "You must be Elanor, though I hear you prefer Nora. You can call me nonna. All the kids do."

Nora gave a small nod though Rossi sensed it was more out of fear than anything else. He also figured that had Nora not been so tightly attached to his leg, his mother would have swept her up into a hug also.

"Who's all here?" Rossi asked, slightly concerned. He knew his early morning strategy was dashed the moment he had seen all the cars in the driveway. He knew they should have snuck in in the middle of the night.

"Oh, pretty much everyone. They are all in the den, except a few of the young ones wanted to play soccer," She whistled. "That'll get their attention. Let's get on then. Everyone's excited to see you." She then swept them into the dining room. Rossi was starting to remember why he didn't visit.

:::::::

Rossi felt Nora pause when they were in the doorway. Rossis filled the room to the brim, all in their own immediate family circles waiting for Adelaide to do introductions. "This is my eldest Maria and her husband Vinny. These are their children Victor and Natalie. Tesa and her family live out in Montana now. Victor is married to Carla, and they have the twins Copper and Goldie. Natalie is married to Arthur, and these three are thier's: Tommy, Lilia, and Poppy." They all offered smiles and waves. Nora didn't react, just moving her gaze to follow Adelaide as she moved around the room.

"Then we have Silvia and her husband Frank Sr. Frank Jr, Jane, and Adie belong to them. Their other daughter Cathy and her family are abroad at the moment. This is Frank Jr.'s wife, Agie, and their kids Harper and Leo. This is Jane's husband, Donald, and their two Jack and Carter. Lastly, we have my youngest grandbaby, Adie, and her husband, Steven. These four munchkins are thier's: Marty, Mike, Molly, and Meridith." Adelaide walked back to the middle of the room. "That's everyone here. Leo, Carter, Poppy, and Molly are around your age."

"This is Nora," Rossi offered as Nora tried to hide behind his leg.

"Why don't you four show Nora around?" Adelaide suggested to the four mentioned.

"Mama, I don't know if-" Rossi protested.

"Nonsense," She cut him off. "I'm sure Nora wants to get to know her cousins. Now go on guys." She added a little shooing motion.

The four approached Nora but didn't say anything as Rossi bent down to look her in the eyes. "Do you want to go look around or stay here with me? Whatever you want to do."

Nora bit her lip and looked down at her feet.

"We can show you all the best hide and seek spots," Carter offered.

"Yeah," Poppy agreed.

Nora sighed before looking back up with a small nod. Rossi understood and offered a smile. "Let them know if you change your mind, okay?"

Nora nodded before following the other four to the back of the house. That was the cue for all the other kids to scatter throughout the house to do their own thing.

Rossi stood up and turned to his mother with a pointed look. "I told you she's not comfortable around strangers."

"We're not strangers, Davie. We're family," Silvia corrected.

"Yes, but to her your strangers. And this is a lot for her."

"She'll be fine," Adeliade told him as she guided him to a chair. "Now fill your mama in on your life."

:::::::

"We all have nicknames," Leo, who was the oldest of the group, informed Nora when they were in the hall. "I'm Speedy because I'm the best baseball player."

"I'm tadpole because I fell in the pond as a baby," Carter told her.

"I'm Sunny," Poppy suppled. "Because I get up early."

"And Molly is mouse," Carter said, pointing to the youngest of the group.

"We'll call you blue," Leo said firmly. "Because of your eyes."

Nora just nodded.

Their tour of the house started and was mostly uneventful until it led outside where some of the older kids had returned to their game of soccer. They stopped when they saw them. Copper was the first to speak. "What's that you got there?" he asked, pointing to Simba.

Nora didn't say anything but held him tighter to her chest.

"Looks like a stuffed animal to me," Goldie replied, crossing her arms as she joined her brother.

"Can't be. Those are for babies." Tommy smirked.

"Looks like one to me," Copper said. "Must mean she's a baby."

"Are you a baby?" Goldie asked as they approached Nora.

Nora shook her head with unshed tears gleaming in her eyes.

"Yes, you are. You are a cry baby," Tommy tormented.

"Cry baby, cry baby," the three of them chanted, getting closer.

Poppy and Leo bother jumped in front of her with their own arms crossed, trying to be intimidating. "Lasciala da sola (Leave her alone)," Leo defended

"O cosa (Or what)?" Tommy asked.

"È meglio che ti fermi (You better stop)," Poppy said.

"È una piagnucolona che ha bisogno della sua mamma (She's a cry baby who needs her mommy)," Goldie laughed.

Nora started crying. Carter jumped in to help the other two. "

Non dirlo (Don't say that)!" Carter yelled. "La mamma ha detto che sua madre è morta (Mom said her mom's dead)."

"Riprenditelo (Take it back)," Poppy demanded at the same time.

"No," Cooper said, getting in their faces. "

Non ci capisce comunque (She doesn't understand us anyway)."

"È una bambina stupida (She's a dumb little baby)," Tommy added.

Nora's face was red as she turned to run back into the house. Not bothering to look back.

"You did it this time, Tommy O'Hare," Poppy said before stomping off into the house after Nora with Molly quietly on her tail.

:::::::

The adults were still in the den when Nora ran into the room and quickly threw herself into Rossi's lap, allowing the first sound to escape as she started full-on sobbing. Rossi was shocked but wrapped his arms around her and shifted, so she was facing him. "What's wrong?"

"Piccola stupida bambina (Dumb little baby)" She stumbled out between sobs.

"No, you"re not," Rossi soothed. "Who said you were?"

That's when Poppy and Molly entered the room. Natalie stood up. "What happened, Poppy?"

"The twins and Tommy were calling Nora a cry baby. Then they said she was dumb because she didn't know what they were saying," Poppy rushed out.

"Is that right?" Rossi asked Nora.

Nora gave a small nod. "Sì (Yes)."

Poppy looked a little surprised and then serious when she realized her brother was really in for it then. Molly shuffled over to climb into her mother's lap. She was the youngest of the little group, and the yelling had been upsetting to her as well.

Rossi looked up to his mother. "I told you something like this would happen."

She didn't get to say anything as the culprits walked in sullen behind Cater and Leo.

"Tommy O'Hare," Natalie started. "You will apologize. Then we're going home."

"Same to you two," Victor told the twins.

"But," Tommy started.

"But nothing," Natalie cut in. "Apologize **_now_**."

"Sorry."

Victor eyed the twins.

"Sorry"

"Sorry"

"Io non sono un bambina (I'm not a baby)," Nora whispered before turning back into Rossi's shoulder.

They looked shocked as they were pushed out of the room by their fathers followed by Carla. "Sorry, Uncle Dave," Natalie said before turning to Adelaide. "I'll get Poppy and Lilia after mass if that's okay with you?"

She nodded. Natalie placed a kiss on Poppy's head. "Be good for Nonna."

"I will." Poppy then walked over to Nora and Rossi. "Want to go play with my dollhouse, Blue?"

Nora gave a hesitant nod as Rossi wiped her last few tears away. She then joined Poppy and Molly as they left the room. Rossi then looked back up at his mother. "Don't say I told you so," She warned.

"I told you she needed time to adjust," Rossi told her anyway. "She's not used to this many people, especially when everyone's virtually strangers."

"We're not strangers, we're family, but I'll keep it in mind, though you will both be attending mass tonight."

"Mama," Rossi warned. "I don't know if that's the best idea."

"It's final," She told him in a tone that reminded him too much of his childhood. "Now tell me, did you teach her Italian?"

Rossi gave a small smile, "Well, you see..."

:::::::

Nora had handled Mass very well. Unlike a few of her younger cousins, she didn't have to be reminded to be still and quiet. Something his sisters had been surprised by and commented on. After Mass, the majority of them headed back to the Rossi house for dinner. The older kids had quickly disappeared, leaving Nora with the same younger group from earlier. Rossi was happy to see Nora making friends. It defiantly helped that they were willing participants in her impromptu dance lesson. By the looks of it, Nora might not be the only dancer in the family as Poppy and Molly seemed interested in learning. Even Leo and Carter were trying to follow along.

"You are really trying to make sure you stay Mama's favorite, aren't you?" Silvia asked, coming up behind him from his watch at the archway.

He turned to look at her. "What?"

"Do you not remember all those times Mama tried to get one of us into dance? But time and time again, we all took to a sport instead."

"Yeah," Maria joined in. "She thought Adie was going to be her dancer because she was always so quiet and reserved, but then she surprised us all with her love of softball."

Silvia nodded. "And here you go bringing her a dancer."

Rossi shook his head. "It's not my fault she likes dancing. She shared her interest, and Penelope suggested putting her in classes."

"Penelope?" Maria raised her brow.

"Is that future Mrs. Rossi number four?" Silvia asked.

Rossi shook his head with a frown. "No. I work with her."

"Hasn't stopped you before." Maria pointed out.

"Penelope is different. I see her more as a daughter. More so she's Nora's self-appointed fairy godmother and helps out a lot. She and Erin have been very helpful in this adjustment period, and Nora loves both of them." He realizes his mistake too late as his sisters break out in a smile.

"Is this the same Erin you brought home?"

Silvia smirks. "So she's back in the picture. Are you going to put a ring on it this time?"

Rossi sighs. "No, we're just getting back to friends, plus she's my boss now."

"But if she wasn't?" Maria questioned him, taking a small step closer.

Rossi thanked the heavens his phone rang at that moment. He sent his sisters a smirk as he answered it. "Rossi," there was a pause. "One moment." He turned to the living room, holding the phone out. "Nora, it's Penny."

Nora grinned, forgetting her current activity, and ran to grab the phone from Rossi. Nora took refuge in one of the corners of the room and resorted back to french. Something Rossi assumed she would have done earlier if he could understand her."That's not Italian." Maria pointed out.

Rossi let out a proud smile. "No, French. From what I can tell she's pretty fluent. Her Italian is not. But she knows enough."

"Dinner!" Adelaide called from the dining room.

Rossi walked against everyone pooling out of the den to get Nora, who was not happy about having to end her conversation with Penelope. "You can talk to her in the morning." Rossi offered.

Nora agreed and said her goodbyes before following Rossi to the dining room. One day down, only a week to go.


	20. 20 - The Ferris Wheel

_Monday_

:::::::

Monday was another early riser. Rossi had mostly used it as an excuse the night before to get his family off his back. If they wanted to get up early, they needed to go to bed early. Nora had gone to bed early, tired out from meeting the family. On the other hand, Rossi had stayed up a little bit longer, checking emails and working on stuff for when he went back to work.

Rossi was excited for their day as he had planned something for just him and Nora. He'd planned a few, and this wasn't even the most exciting one, but it was the only one Nora knew about beforehand. Having seen her excitement, it had only led to the growth of his own. The other activities for the week were surprises, but Rossi knew Nora would love them.

Unlike the day before, Nora was not as quick to jump out of bed at the early hour. Rossi had a slight suspension Penelope might actually be magical as she had no problem the day before getting Nora up and ready. He eventually coaxed Nora out of bed with a promise of breakfast and a reminder of their plans for the day.

The rest of the family had cleared out the night before as many of the kids had school. Their spring breaks had been the weeks before. So he and Nora were having a low-key, in his mother's opinion, breakfast that looked similar to their weekend breakfasts back home. Adelaide ate with them, more watching than speaking. It was a rarety, but Rossi was going to go with it.

"Call Penny?" Nora asked in between two bites.

"It's a little early still. You can call her in the car for a few minutes. She has work," Rossi replied, taking his empty plate to the sink before sitting back down to finish his coffee.

"Penny?" Adelaide finally spoke.

"She's a coworker. She's adopted Nora as a niece and has been a big help."

Adelaide nodded but didn't get a chance to say anything as Nora spoke instead. "All done."

Rossi picked up her plate. "Go get dressed. I'll do your hair afterward."

"Okay," Nora replied before leaving just Rossi and his mother in the kitchen.

Rossi started the dishes in silence, waiting for his mother to speak. Five years was a long time not to go home, and he didn't remember how many it had been before that. "So, my baby boy finally settled down."

"I was settled before Nora."

"Were you?" Adelaide asked, brow raised. "There were book tours, and then you went back to the BAU. Doesn't seem settled to me."

"It worked for me."

"But were you happy?"

"Yes." He had been, honestly. At least Rossi thought he had been. Seeing the world and doing the things he loved. But looking back, he guessed he could have been happier.

The conversation settled until Adeliade proposed another line of questioning. "So you finally came home, but from what I hear you are not spending a whole lot of time with your family. Why is that, Davie?"

"I wanted Nora to meet her family. It is only right. But I don't want to overwhelm her with people who lack boundaries for an entire week. Plus it is her spring break. I want her to be able to do things she likes and not just sit around the house all week," Rossi replied, drying the dishes and putting them up.

"She likes amusement parks?"

"She's never been to one, but she is very excited. Noah told her all about them, and I showed her pictures and explained some of the different rides."

"Noah?"

"Erin's middle son."

"Erin. That's a name I haven't heard in a while. I liked her. You should have settled down with her. Is she back in the picture?" Rossi wondered if his interest in interrogation came from his mother.

Rossi shook his head. "No, Erin is not back in the picture. Not the way you're insinuating, at least."

"You guys had something special," She mused. "You never brought any of your wives home till after you married them. You never did bring the third one home. What was her name, Kerri, no Kathy."

"Krystal," Rossi corrected with a slight huff as he sat back down at the counter. "Whatever Erin and I had was a long time ago. A lot of things have changed. We broke up for a reason."

"Because you were in an ass."

"Mama!" Rossi's eyes widen as he jumped to dispute. "No, we just didn't work out. We wanted different things."

"I remember," Adeliade said, giving Rossi a knowing look. "She wanted a commitment, and you were just looking for someone to keep your bed warm."

Rossi ran his hands over his face with a sigh. "That is not- I wasn't- there was more to it than that."

"Well, you sure didn't wait long before finding a replacement. Multiple replacements, if I remember correctly. Then you married that Kathy woman in Vegas."

"Krystal"

Adelaide huffed. "Whatever, at least you finally cleaned up your act after that."

"Yes," Rossi replied, done with the conversation.

"So, Erin has a son now. It's good to see she settled down after you." Well, his mother wasn't done with the conversation.

"She has three kids: Alysa, Noah, and Vivian. Vivian is a dancer and has been helping Nora catch up with her class."

Adelaide nodded. "I bet Erin and her husband are proud."

"Actually, they're divorced."

Rossi watched the ghost of a smile cross his mother's face. "So she's single. You know now could be your chance."

Rossi shook his head. "We both have our own lives now. What Erin and I had ended over thirty years ago."

Adelaide frowned but let the topic drop, for then at least. "Well, then, what are you doing about work?"

"I go back once we return to Virginia. Nora's in school now. so there is no reason for me to lounge around the mansion all day."

"Are you sure that's the best idea?" Adelaide asked, brows knit. "Your job has risks, and you are never home. Nora needs stability."

"I've thought about it, but I hated being retired the first time. I'm not ready to do that again. Lots of agents have children," Rossi told her.

"But they have help."

"I have Penelope," He paused, "and Erin. Penelope's going to stay with Nora when we're on cases. In a couple of weeks, if we see it's not working, we reevaluate. I built the BAU from the ground up. I'm not ready to give it up just yet, but I can keep most of my work at headquarters if I need to. Do local consults and interviews. But right now, I plan to go back full time."

Adelaide frowned but gave an understanding nod switching topics again. "So, my daughters have informed me I might finally have my dancer in the family."

Rossi smiled. "It's only Nora's favorite thing."

:::::::

"Remember, you need to stay with me the entire time," Rossi fussed. "Don't run off, don't talk to strangers, let me know immediately if something is bothering you," He reminded her. "You still remember my number, just in case?"

Nora nodded, tightening her grip on his hand as they walked through the gate. Rossi took a deep breath to calm his anxious worry before looking down to catch the overwhelmed excitement in Nora's eyes. "It's your day, so we can go wherever you want to go first."

"Catapillar," Nora said, barely audible over the noise of rides, games, and excited children.

Rossi knew despite Nora's excitement, the bustle of people would probably not be very welcomed by the five-year-old. He hoped their viewing of the map and semi plan of action for the amusement park would create some comfort for her. So with Nora leading the way by a tiny step ahead, they went to get in line for the caterpillar ride.

"I'm too tall to get on this one. Will you be okay by yourself? I'll be right here watching." Rossi suddenly wished he'd brought at least one of Nora's cousin to be able to ride with her. Even though she'd only known them a day, it was better than alone.

Nora eyed the orange caterpillar as it went around and around. "Be okay," She replied.

Rossi smiled. "Okay, You gotta smile so I can send Penelope a picture."

Nora nodded with a tiny smile. Rossi wondered if the light bouncing on her toes was from nerves or excitement. The line was relatively short since most public schools in the area were still in school, and they had arrived shortly after the gates opened. "I'll be right here," Rossi reminded her as they reached the front of the line.

Nora's smile brightened just a little as she glanced back at him as she followed the ride attendee and other kids to the ride. Rossi pulled out his phone and snapped several pictures before the ride even started. Once it did, he watched as Nora's smile grew with each lap around the track. What nerves she had disappeared once the ride ended and she reached Rossi. "Was it fun?"

Nora nodded. "Cars next?"

"Of course," Rossi replied as they made their way to the other side of the path where the NYC Race ride was. They repeated the same steps as before, Rossi once again taking way too many pictures. He was shocked to see Nora tell a girl around her age that her star barrette was pretty before they both took a seat on the Volkswagen bus. Rossi already knew Penelope would get a kick out of Nora's choice.

"Spinning cars, next?" Rossi asked, taking Nora's hand once she got off the ride.

"You ride?"

Rossi nodded, remembering the information they had looked at while looking at the map. "Yes, I can ride this one with you."

Nora smiled more at that fact. Once they were on the ride and moving, Nora burst out in giggles. Rossi hadn't exactly expected Nora to enjoy rides so much, but she seemed to enjoy them a lot so far.

:::::::

The pair spent the rest of the morning going over all the kiddie rides. Rossi added a serious amount of pictures to his camera roll. When it came time for lunch, Rossi did well to get Nora to sit down long enough to eat a hotdog. Her excitement had grown as the day went on. Rossi could hardly believe he was looking at the same girl that had shown up in his office a few weeks prior. After lunch, Rossi convinced her to take a break from the rides to play some games.

Rossi discovered Nora was scary good at wack-a-mol. She happily added a green dragon looking thing to the penguin he'd won at an earlier game with his superior marksmanship. They then moved on to the bigger rides that Nora was tall enough to ride. Rossi had never seen Nora giggle as much as she did on those rides. They saved the big Ferris wheel for last just as the sun was setting. His favorite picture of the entire day was of Nora just as they stopped on the top with the sun setting behind her. He had never seen her smile so big. He quickly sent the picture to Penelope and Erin and at second thought sent it to his mother as well.

:::::::

Nora didn't even make it home before falling asleep. She didn't even stir when Rossi carried her to the room she was staying and tucked her in. "Did she have fun?" Adelaide asked as Rossi claimed back down the stairs with a black book in his hands.

"Lots. I got enough pictures to fill a museum that we can look through later if you like."

"I'd like that." She pointed to the book in Rossi's arms. "What's that?"

"It's Nora's photo album. It was in her bag when I got her. I thought you might like to look through it."

Adelaide smiled."Of course."

So they sat down in the den and started looking through the album. "Who's that?" She asked when they came across the first picture with Clyde.

"Clyde, I'm pretty sure. He's the one who left Nora with me. From what Penelope and I have gathered, he worked with Nora's mom. Nora calls him Bunny."

"Oh, okay."

They continued going through the pages, Rossi answering his mother's questions the best he could. He watched his mother's face as they reached the end of Nora's pictures. "Oh."

"Emily," Rossi supplied. "I found some letters in one of Nora's books. Apparently, it means to strive."

"It's a good name."

Rossi smiled sadly. "Yes, It is."


End file.
